US Coast Guard Sector San Juan and the crew of the Liberian-flagged tanker Horten rescued a capsized rower, Benoit Bourguet, in the Atlantic Ocean east of Puerto Rico on Wednesday night. Bourguet, 47, was competing in the World’s Toughest Row Race when his single-man vessel, City of Liverpool, was struck by rogue waves, causing it to capsize in 13 to 15-foot seas. He deployed his life raft and activated his emergency beacon.
The Coast Guard received a distress signal from Bourguet’s vessel around 2 a.m., approximately 1,100 nautical miles east of Puerto Rico. After multiple unsuccessful attempts to contact him, the watchstanders issued an Automated Mutual-Assistance Vessel Rescue (AMVER) callout to alert nearby vessels, including the Old Sea Dogs rowing team. The Horten tanker diverted for over 12 hours to reach the distress location.
Once on-site, the Horten crew spotted Bourguet’s life raft and safely rescued him using a life ring. He was dehydrated but in good health after spending around 24 hours in distress. Coast Guard officials praised the coordination between their team and the Horten crew, emphasizing the importance of registered emergency beacons for mariners.
