Yacht Grinfolet started from La Coruna the 26th of august, sailing to Brittany. Marc Fontaine, owner and skipper, exeprienced yachtman, was sailing alone in a NE strong breeze. After 5 days his wife requested help from the french authorities as she had no news from her husband. Aerial researches started on the 3rd of september, the 7th of september half of the boat has been identified by the french custom plane 150 milles NNW of Cap Finistere. The boat was a Bongo, 9.60 meters long, full white with grey deck, twin rudders. It seems to have been cut in two pieces in a violent collision. The wreck is still afloat somewhere west of Portugal. A simulation of drift for a liferaft has been done and some research flights in a zone at equal distance between Finistere, Azores and Madeira (something like 300 milles W of Lisboa), but sadly without success. Aerial research has been abandonned the 11th of september as the area was too wide to cover. His family and friends still think that there's a tiny chance to find the dinghy or some pieces of the boat in that zone. If you know someone sailing between Spain or Portugal and Madeira or Azores, and if they could see anything that could help in finding any clue please contact Benoit Charon at
vpmanche@wanadoo.fr or by phone 00 33 233 611 447 or 00 33 622 678 217
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