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The recovery operations of the OCEAN FIFTY Les P'tits Doudous continue on the Spanish coast, under the houlet of Adrien Hardy and his team. Arrived in the area yesterday morning, they have since been active to recover anything after the Sunday-Monday night crash. Good news this Wednesday afternoon, The Little Doudous were able to be returned and although the mast is in several pieces, the platform itself seems relatively spared.
As often as a hard blow occurs at sea, solidarity and mobilization quickly come into place. It's this beautiful chain, this incredible energy that accompanies Armel and his entire team since the 50-foot trimaran has been covered in northeast Spain. On the spot since yesterday morning, the rescue team has been doing their best to get as much equipment as possible. After experiencing some difficulties returning the platform to the place in the middle of the sea, the decision was made to tow it into the Bay of Carino, at the entrance of the Ria Ortigueira.
Port authorities nearby La Corogne have immediately offered their assistance and efforts to make things easier by releasing the administrative formalities team and moving a crane to the closest of the boat. With their valuable collaboration, the return of the P’tits Doudous was able to take place without any problem. Adrien Hardy and his team got active in preparing the boat to bring him back to Brittany.
A round operation carried out since Ocean Fifty is now in a trailer to the Bay of Quiberon, for an expected arrival between Friday evening and Saturday morning.
A good news that gives Armel Tripon the energy to turn to the next:"Relief! This is the first word that comes to me when I see the P’tits Doudous in the place. The boat is integrity and this is thanks to the professionalism of all. Offshore racing is collective and in solidarity, and this heatwave proves that much more to me. Thanks to my team first to whom I owe so much. Thanks also to Adrien and his crew for their efficiency, to Denis Hugues and the entire organization of the 1000 Miles of Sables, to MRCC and Carlos Fernandes de Landa Suansez de la MARINA CORU?A.
A huge thank you to the 110 associations Les P’tits Doudous for their flawless support which touches me a lot. Thanks to our partners who will allow us to leave more beautiful, with even more desire. Thank you all for your warm and comforting messages. See you very soon on the water for the rest of the season, without forgetting the Route du Rum - Destination Guadeloupe, next November."
Armel Tripon's boat Les P'tits Doudous capsized
Capsizing of the P'tit Doudous: the first explanations of Armel Tripon
Shortly before midnight on Sunday, April 10, Armel Tripon capsized aboard his Ocean Fifty off A Coru?a. While racing on the 1000 Milles des Sables, alone, the skipper of P'tits Doudous was quickly winched and brought ashore. Early this morning, a rescue team, led by Adrien Hardy, set sail to retrieve the trimaran in the area. A few hours after his arrival in the Spanish port, Armel Tripon returned to the circumstances of the capsizing.
Last night, the skipper of P'tits Doudous was operating in a southwest wind of 18 to 19 knots, on a sea formed with a west swell, when his 50-foot trimaran capsized. In these relatively unstable conditions, the Nantes whose experience and marine sense we know sailed carefully, under small gennaker and swayed thoroughly. Sheltering inside the central hull of her Ocean Fifty at first, she was quickly winched by Spanish rescuers and dropped ashore in A Coru?a where she spent the night. At the same time, the recovery operation of the boat was organized from Lorient, under the direction of the navigator Adrien Hardy whose expertise in the rescue of racing sailboats is well established. The team should arrive tonight in the area, helped by a positioning beacon activated by Armel before leaving the edge, in order to locate the position of the P'tits Doudous.
Reached this morning by phone, Armel Tripon, naturally in shock, returned to the events of last night: "I was under little gennaker and swayed thoroughly when it happened. I wasn't in attack mode at all. I was on my way to 140 when the autopilot stalled and the boat was 70? from the wind. The pilot reacted badly to an oversale and where he should have shot, he lobbed. I was inside and when I came out, the gennaker was slamming. I had however put the widths that allow to shock the sails in large if necessary, but it did not work. I wanted to shoot again but in two seconds the bows planted. I rushed him inside... I heard a crack when the mast hit the water, and then the boat capsized."
Safely on land, in A Coru?a, Armel Tripon is not injured. He is now waiting for the team from Lorient early this morning to arrive on the capsizing area to follow the towing operations.
Faced with this very difficult situation for Armel and for the whole team, the partners are more than ever united to face and support the skipper. Nolwenn Febvre, President and Founder of P'tits Doudous: "The caregivers of P'tits Doudous are all mobilized behind Armel. Storms are our daily life in the hospital and we know how to manage them. Armel helps us all year round by being a very committed sponsor and today it is up to us to help him. Our hearts go out to him."
