An Antarctic cruise ship that plucked a French sailor from the ocean after he spent three days adrift in high seas docked in Hobart Tuesday to return the yachtsman to dry land.
Alain Delord was marooned on a life raft in mountainous seas about 500 nautical miles from southern Australia’s Tasmania after his yacht was badly damaged in perilous weather during a solo round-the-world sailing attempt.
The PV Orion, a cruise ship carrying about 100 passengers on a tour of the Antarctic was diverted to Delord’s aid and completed its dramatic rescue of the experienced sailor on Sunday night.
It arrived in Hobart, capital of the island state of Tasmania, shortly after 9:00am Tuesday (2200 GMT Monday).
A cheer went up from passengers thronging the Orion’s deck as the cruise vessel arrived at Macquarie Dock, mooring behind a Chinese freight vessel.
The Frenchman, who left on a solo around-the-world journey three months ago, is expected to speak to the media later Tuesday about his rescue which was coordinated by Australian authorities.
Delord abandoned his yacht Tchouk Tchouk Nougat on Friday after its mast was smashed and it sustained hull damage in rough conditions.
He spent the next three days adrift in a life raft until the Orion could reach him because his remote location meant he was too far from Australia for a helicopter to be used to rescue him.
The experienced yachtsman’s family are understood to be travelling to Hobart to meet him.
Delord, an experienced solo yachtsman, was reportedly following the route of the Vendee Globe ocean race.
The Australian navy famously rescued Frenchman Thierry Dubois and Briton Tony Bullimore after several days adrift in the Southern Ocean during the 1996/97 edition of the Vendee Globe.
Ship carrying rescued French sailor arrives in Australia
