Two French sailors were rescued by a helicopter on Sunday morning after their racing trimaran vessel capsized and washed ashore at Perelle.
Guernsey Coastguard said it was alerted to a vessel in distress around 12:40am which turned out to be a male and female pair racing in the 15m Ocean Fifty Koesio in the Transat Cafe L’Or.
The crew were racing from Le Havre to Martinque – a French overseas island in the southern Caribbean.
It was north west of the island when the St Peter Port lifeboat launched and a French helicopter from Joburg MRCC took off to rescue the pair.
The sailors were rescued unharmed from the vessel within an hour, and the Guernsey lifeboat stayed with the vessel as it drifted towards Perelle bay.
The emergency services coordinated with States works to remove the wreck from the shore on Sunday once the tide made it accessible.
States Works said the pollution risk was “minimal”.
The Coastguard and Bailiwick Law Enforcement made public statements warning people against visiting the wreck or taking anything from the site.
This is due to strict laws around wrecks which stretch back to 1986.
The race director is now in Guernsey to act on behalf of the vessel owner and arrange for its recovery.
