There is genuine concern today for the welfare of French skipper Alexandre Scrizzi, competitor in the La Charante-Maritime Bahia Transat 6,50 . It is some hours since event organisers raised the alarm having become concerned about the direction and speed of his yacht Phoenix, which has continued south past the latitude of the finish line of the at Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. A spotter plane has made visual contact with the vessel and the Brazilian Navy are now heading full speed for a mid-ocean rendezvous this afternoon.
From the reports it is unclear as to the condition of the skipper. More news on the unfolding drama on the Race website
UPDATE:
I heard from @dominiklenk on twitter this afternoon (16:35 GMT) that Alexandre is OK. He suffered a GPS failure and thought he was 400km north of his actual position.
