Charente-Maritime Bahia Transat 6.50 - Aussie sailor forced to abandon

7:07 PM Tue 25 Oct 2011 GMT

'Scott Cavanough - ? Bateau accompagnateur Pen Ar Clos' La Charente-Maritime /Bahia Transat 6.50

Australian sailor Scott Cavanough (797 - brainchild.org.au) has been forced to abandon his attempt at the Charente-Maritime/Bahia Transat 6.50 after his 2010 Brett Bakewell-White design Proto type suffered severe damage to the bow.

Scott, from the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron, abandoned his boat and boarded the escort boat Pen Ar Clos.

Scott followed the standard safety procedure and set off his ERPIB, indicating he had a technical problem and was asking for help.

Yesterday the race director asked one of the seven escort boats (Pen Ar Clos) to navigate through the night at high speed to reach the Australian sailor.

The American sailor Emma Creighton (574 - Pocket Rocket) stood by throughout the night near Scott, putting aside her race to stay with the Aussie sailor.

Emma set sail again this morning after the arrival of the escort boat.

Once safe and sound aboard Pen Ar Clos, Scott Cavanough detailed the damages suffered.

The Proto (formerly known as Skippy) was the victim of a collision with a super tanker that broke it's bow. Damages were severe and with no chance of repairs, Scott was forced to abandon his yacht.

More as it comes to hand.

Charente-Maritime/Bahia Transat 6.50 website

by Sail-World.com