French Solo Rower Rescued

[sailingdog]

Charles Girard, a French engineer who was planning to try an beat the existing trans-Atlantic rowing record has been rescued just 50 miles off the Massachusetts coast. He left Nauset Inlet, on Cape Cod for France in a custom 23' rowboat he designed.

His first start, on June 30, 2007, ended with him getting towed back to Cape Cod, when he encountered a leak in his boat.

His second attempt ended today, when he called for rescue and was picked up from his boat. His boat remains adrift at sea and is currently a hazard to navigation.

Hmmm... He's French, and not a great engineer from the problems he's had with his boat... and obviously can't understand a weather forecast—since the heavy seas and winds that he encountered were predicted a few days ago.

I wonder how much his rescue cost us, the American taxpayers.

[txmatt]

From the article you linked to, he was caught in "five-to-eight foot seas and 15-knot winds"

He was planning on crossing the Atlantic and couldn't handle 15 knot winds and 5-8 foot seas? Hmm... And this was his second attempt? Perhaps it's a good thing they didn't tow his boat back again this time.

[sailingdog]

That's kind of what I was thinking... and his weather planning/routing skills basically blow chunks... it isn't like this was unexpected weather at the time he left.

[camaraderie]

Giu will be happy!

[sailorjim99]

I wonder if he would have been rescued if he was somewhere between Australia and New Zealand?

I hear a lot of radio malfunctions occur in this area.

Jim.