The French maxi-trimaran Groupama 3’s round the world attempt came to an abrupt end this morning when her leeward float sheared off and the vessel capsized, around 80 miles off Dunedin, New Zealand.

According to BYM News, at 0043UTC this morning skipper Franck Cammas told his shore team “We have just capsized. The leeward float broke in two, causing the two arms to break and then the boat went over on its side. The crew is safe and inside the central hull. No one is hurt. There are 5 to 7 metre waves and 25 to 30 knots of wind. The sea is breaking and nobody can go outside.”

French coastguards picked up a signal from the vessel’s EPIRB at around 0120 UTC, and their New Zealand counterparts were able to speak to the crew via satellite phone, and confirmed that all on board were uninjured. They had been able to get out of the upturned boat and were dressed in survival gear and on the hull awaiting rescue, with the wind blowing 30 knots from the south west and a 2 metre swell.

By about 0430 UTC, three of the rescue helicopters had winched Franck Cammas and his crew to safety and were flying them to Dunedin, where they were checked over by paramedics before being cleared through Customs.

The Crew of Groupama 3 following their rescue.