And another capsize

Fourth trimaran turn-over in the Transat Jacques Vabre

While navigating through the Doldrums in manageable but variable conditions, Italian duo of Giovanni Soldini and Vittorio Malingri capsized on the ORMA trimaran TIM Progetto Italia 400m south west of Dakar, Senegal at approximately 0515 GMT this morning. The boat was sailing at average speed (the last position report has her sailing at 13.6 knots) and Soldini had switched to autopilot briefly so that he could trim the sails.

But the electronics failed and the trimaran luffed too quickly for the skipper to take the helm and regain control of the boat, which slowly lifted up her weather hull and capsized. Both Soldini and Vittorio Malingri were unharmed in the capsize and have not set off their EPRIB distress beacon. Their shore team are currently working out a solution to get a tow out to the boat.

Conditions in the area were favourable as the sea was flat, and the wind wasn’t too strong even if it was variable. The duo have a stock of food and fresh water for the time being and so will stay with the boat until a vessel arrives to tow them ashore.

Out of ten 60ft trimaran starters in the Transat Jacques Vabre, four have now capsized for a variety of different reasons:

TIM Progetto Italia - autopilot failure
Groupama II - rudder disengaged plus wave action
Foncia - hit by a gust while preparing for a tack
Orange Project - broken beam

Two others have experience major structure failures:

Brossard - central hull split in two
Sodebo - broken port hull, dismasted