ITAL BONNY

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Container ship captain accused yacht skipper of lying and behaved uncooperative

After the coillision of the 'Ital Bonny' with the 'NST Cabinet Z' on May 28, its skipper Thomas Jourdren has given his version of events, according to which the container ship, after discussions, questioned the fact that he was a sailboat. Entering the Normandy Channel Race with his crewmate Cédric de Kervenoaël, the skipper from Finistère wa sailing off Ushant, near the Traffic Separation Scheme, but well outside this area prohibited to boats competing in the race, "in particularly tricky sea conditions, Despite the precautions taken beforehand, Jorurdren had seen the cargo ship nearby on AIS. He tried three VHF calls, 30 minutes before the collision point. Initially, there was no response, before contact was finally established. He old them they were racing under sail and wanted to move ahead. The cargo ship then confirmed it would change course and was okay. For safety reasons, the yacht widened its waypoint. But the container ship wasn't deviating. Cédric de Kervenoaël picked up the VHF to reestablish contact, while Jourdren went back and forth between the helm and the cockpit screen, in thick fog and rough seas. The container ship, believing that the speed of 16-17 knots was unsuitable for a sailboat, and accusing it of dishonesty, continued on its way, so that the collision became inevitable. The lights of the 'Ital Bonny' appeared in the fog and its bow hit the yachtt head-on, literally cutting the boat in two. The two sailors found themselves clinging to the transom as the yacjh sank (Lat. 48.3105 Lng. -6.5297). The freighter initially continued on its way. Jorudren issued a mayday call. responded quickly and deployed their life raft. After the Mayday call at around 1:30 a.m., the alert was immediately acknowledged by the CROSS Corsen, which took over the coordination of rescue operations amd broadcast a Mayvay Relay. The CROSS deployed several rescue resources, including a French Navy H160 helicopter. The yacht 'EMPOWHER', of Pamela Lee and Jay Thompson, was two nautical miles away at tjat to,e Ahead pf the collision, Lee's co-ckipper Jay Thompson was on watch, and Lee was sleeping, when he heard boat number 191 speaking to a cargo ship over the radio, they were asking if they would be able to clear in front oft hem, the cargo ship captain wasn't very cooperative,but rather the contrary, and told them they need to divert, basically get out of the way. The next thing he heard was them calling a Mayday, so he woke the skipper up, and they immediately headed towards the postiion. Once on scene, they ound the boat in three pieces, with two men sitting on one of the pieces. The only thing they had time to do was grab a portable VHF radio. They weren't in survival suits and their life raft was destroyed by the collision. Lee and Thompson launched their pwm liferaft and dragged it around, trying to circle them and get as close as possible without damaging their own boat with debris from the 'NST Cabinet Z'. Bit the line that their liferaft was attached to broke, so they lost it without getting to the castaways. They continued to relay messages between them and the CROSS Corsen, as they circled them, keeping flashlights and an eye on them at all times so the helicopter could find them. In the dark, they also threw overboard all lifeslings and things they could grab. Arriving on site at 2:15 a.m., the helicopter crew hoisted the two shipwrecked men to safety amid three meter high waves, a 20-25 knot wind, and thick fog, about 60 miles off Brest. One of them was unharmed; the other slightly injured. He was treated upon arrival by firefighters from the Brest naval base and then transferred to Brest University Hospital for further examinations. The 'ITal Bonny' dropped anchor on the roadstead of Saint Nazaire (Lat. 47.1202 Lng. -2.4596) and was permiotted to continue its voyage on May 29 with an ETA at Piraeus as of June 5. The wreckage of the yacht was towed to Lorient by a motor trimaran. Report with photos: https://www.francebleu.fr/sports/voile/il-nous-a-accuses-de-malhonnetete-le-skipper-du-voilier-coupe-en-deux-par-un-cargo-au-large-de-brest-raconte-le-choc-1394479

Container ship ran over race yacht

During the Normandy Channel Race, on May 28, 2025, at 1:50 a.m., the Class 40 yacht "NST Cabinet Z" (a Pogo S4) of Thomas Jourdren and Cédric de Kervenoaël was run over by the 'Ital Bonny', en route from Antwerp to Piraeus, in the Ushant Traffic Separation Scheme. The boat literally broke in two. The 'NST Cabinet Z', racing double handed, saw the container on AIS 30 minutes before CPA, and after three tries was able to reach them on the radio The two vessels agreed that the racer would pass ahead and that the ship would alter course or speed to accommodate that. To be safe, the racer changed course to increase the separation. The container ship did nothing. The 'NST Cabinet Z' contacted them again, urgently, over the radio and the 'Ital Bonny' claimed the racers were lying, that the 'NST Cabinet Z' could not be a sailboat with priority because no sailboat could attain a speed of 17 knots. Then the two ships collided, and a Mayday call was issued. Rescue efforts were immediately initiated by the CROSS Corsen with the assistance of the crew of the Class 40 yacht '#EMPOWHER (No. 178)', skippered by Pamela Lee and Jay Thompson, who were sailing near the scene. The two skippers of the 'NST Cabinet Z' were rescued at 2.15 a.m. by a French Navy helicopter and taken to a hospital in Brest for examination. The Class 40 '#EMPOWHER', which had launched its liferaft during the rescue operation, was unable to retrieve it and returned to Lorient. back. The 'Ital Bonny' was ordered to divert to Saint Nazaire. An investigation was launched to determine the exact circumstances of the accident. The remains of the wrecked sailing yacht was towed to shore as quickly as possible using the resources currently available on site. The two sailors were uninjured but in shock. Reports with photos and video: https://www.courseaularge.com/class40-le-recit-de-thomas-jourdren-apres-son-helitreuillage-et-son-class40-heurte-par-un-cargo.html https://afloat.ie/sail/offshore/pamela-lee/item/67419-pamela-lee-s-empowher-aids-rescue-during-normandy-race https://www.letelegramme.fr/sports/voile/limpressionnante-video-de-lhelitreuillage-des-deux-marins-du-class-40-coupe-en-deux-par-un-cargo-6827552.php https://www.letelegramme.fr/sports/voile/le-class40-coupe-en-deux-par-un-cargo-va-etre-remorque-jusqua-brest-6826717.php https://www.letelegramme.fr/sports/voile/ce-quil-reste-du-bateau-de-course-coupe-en-deux-par-un-cargo-images-6827716.php https://www.tf1info.fr/justice-faits-divers/videos/video-voilier-percute-par-un-cargo-deux-marins-sauves-in-extremis-31644-2373899.html