Mayday Off The French Coast

While entering the Rade de Brest shortly after nightfall, a collision with an object occurs in the dark between the island of O’ussant and the French mainland. With every damage below the waterline in the bow section, a mayday call gets set off. Later, the object turned out to be an unlit buoy.

Shortly after

At approximately 2300 on October 19 2024, I notice a collision with something in the dark while going under engine. At this point of time my boat is running under engine with strong spring tide. This results in us going 6.5 knots of speed over ground with current from the back. The boat hits the buoy pretty much directly frontal resulting in it being stuck on the buoy with the pulpit. it just comes loose again after being swept around the buoy to the current lee-side.

Instantly, I begin assessing the damage and note a bent in the pulpit and a smashed bow roller. At this point in time, I cannot determine whether water is coming inside the boat, so I continue motoring towards Brest, which is only about three hours away. After around five minutes, I take a look through the companionway into the forecabin again and suddenly can see the mattresses swimming and water flowing out of the stowage areas below the bed. After inspection, I decide to set off a mayday call to the French coastguard, and a SNSM lifeboat arrives after about 20 minutes.

I have the water increase under control myself, and over the radio, we decide to take a course to Camaret-sur-Mer, about an hour away. While Wolf is running on engine and steering with autopilot towards Camaret, I am below deck and try to keep the water under control. Meanwhile, the lifeboat follows close behind. Only in the bay of Camaret is it possible to transfer two rescue men, who help me get water out of the boat while we approach the fuel pontoon, where a strong water pump is already waiting. Shortly after, Wolf gets hauled out in the middle of the night and is now stowed on the local boatyards’ premises.

Repairs and talks with the insurance are ongoing. This definitely is a strong throwback but everything else than the end of the journey and I’m more determined to get on going again than ever before.

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