Escoffier left Le Cam for a frigate of the French Navy

After five days on board Jean Le Cam’s boat, Kevin Escoffier was forced to abandon his accidental companion to take his place on the frigate, the Nivôse. Rescued from the water by the Yes We Cam skipper after a damage to his imoca (PRB), Kevin Escoffier was recovered without incident by the naval vessel at 3:54 am French time on Sunday morning.

Despite ‘extreme’ weather conditions during the night and a wind of almost 25 knots and a swell of 4 meters at the time of the transfer, the ship parked in the Indian Ocean and the oldest of this Vendée Globe maneuvered perfectly for the Kevin Escoffier transshipment. The 40-year-old sailor first boarded a semi-rigid Zodiac type and then joined the frigate.

“A transfer operation with a lot of expertise”

This operation is a hook in the daily life of the Nivôse, more used to the surveillance of the French maritime zones than in the Vendée Globe.

With Kevin Escoffier on board, the ship sails to Reunion, his home port, to drop off his passenger there at the end of next week.

“It is clearly a huge relief for Kevin Escoffier who finally sees his adventure take a new turn. Kevin, PRB and the entire team would like to thank the French Navy for its responsiveness and for conducting this transfer operation with great expertise,” said his sponsor. PRB in a press release. Thanks also to the race director of the Vendée Globe who has worked tirelessly since the moment the PRB skipper activated his emergency beacon on Monday, November 30 at 2:46 pm.

Not very elaborate when he said goodbye to his younger brother, Jean Le Cam was pleased with a “See you soon!” After rescuing Escoffier from the waters, after being attacked by a flying fish, the 61-year-old sailor will resume his journey in this Vendée Globe 2020-2021 and will benefit from a withdrawal from his time decided by the competition management after his rescue. heroic.