Two McMurdo EPIRBs and two McMurdo Fast Find PLBs were activated last night by the crew of Tony Bullimore’s 102ft racing catamaran Spirit of Antigua when she capsized some 120 miles SSW of Brest last night. Bullimore was not on board.

The McMurdo beacons alerted search and rescue services to the crew’s plight around 2130 hours in the evening. The giant grand prix catamaran, well known as a winner and record holder on the racing circuit and capable of speeds of up to 38 knots, was cruising offshore off Finnistere around 160 miles to the south west of the Pointe de Penmarch’h, when the CROSS Griz Nez (the maritime organisation responsible for control and safety of shipping in the area) received the alert. The rescue mission was quickly got underway as a helicopter from the naval air base at Lanveoc was sent to the area around midnight. The helicopter team located the yacht whose seven crew members had managed to take refuge in the upturned hulls of the catamaran. They were winched up into the helicopter and taken back to dry land safe and sound.

Despite calm seas, the cause of the capsize was a sudden gust of wind which accelerated from 15 knots to 30 knots and the crew were unable to de-power the yacht in time.

“The rescue of Spirit of Antigua once again highlights the importance of carrying satellite beacons such as the McMurdo EPIRBs and PLBs at sea,” comments McMurdo Ltd CEO Jeremy Harrison. “The signal from the beacons which is transmitted through the global satellite search and rescue system ensures that information can be relayed to local search and rescue organisations to get a recovery under way without any delay. We are very pleased to have been able to play an important part in saving the lives of the seven crew.”