French owned vessel washes ashore in SVG

The St Vincent and the Grenadines Coast Guard Service is conducting investigations into the discovery of a sailing vessel on the beach next to Diamond River sometime last week.{{more}}

A resident of North Union telephoned the Coast Guard on Thursday, April 26 and reported that a strange looking vessel, that he believed to have been built in Barbados, had washed ashore on the Beach.

The vessel is twenty-one feet in length, twelve feet wide; it is red in colour with yellow and white strips on both sides and has the number 405 written on its bows. The name of the vessel is Okoume and it washed ashore without any sail or keel.

Initial investigations by the Coast Guard reveals that S/V Okoume was captained by Mathieu Claveau of France, who was taking part in the Mini Transat (Trans-Atlantic) Race from France to Brazil. The Transat Race started in France on September 25, 2011, with 79 yachts destined for Brazil with a distance of 1,100 nautical miles to be covered.

On October 23, Captain Claveau stated that his vessel Okoume collided with an unidentified floating object (UFO), which severely damaged the vessel’s hull. He was forced to activate his emergency plan and abandoned his vessel. Claveau was rescued by a passing cargo ship and the Okoume sank and remained submerged until it found itself on the beach in North Union.

The vessel was secured on the beach by residents and the Coast Guard is advising residents and nationals to keep clear of the vessel.