The sailor, identified as Laurent Camprubi, 62, had departed from the Portuguese capital of Lisbon on Sunday in his 40-foot vessel to participate in a race which would have qualified him for the Route du Rhum, a transatlantic solo sailing contest that takes place every four years between Saint Malo, Brittany, France and Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe.
After Camprubi set sail, he experienced weather conditions that were “adverse” and included strong winds and nearly 10-foot waves, according to his account.
The French sailor also said he was shocked to see the damage that was done to his ship, the Jeanne SOLO Sailor, in which his mast was shattered as well as his boom, and his keel and equipment were missing.
The sailor sent out a distress signal for help on Monday while he was stranded about 14 miles from the coast of Spain’s Sisargas Islands, and was only able to survive by breathing through an air bubble that was about 27 inches long and began shrinking overnight while he waited for rescue.
Despite having to wait for so long, Camprubi declares that the thought of never seeing his kids again kept him fighting for his life.
“I never panicked,” said the sailor from Marseille. “I tried to see the reality and find solutions. I was afraid of not seeing my kids again.”
“I couldn’t understand how I was able to survive,” he added. “The conditions were very adverse. I was trying to pull the main sail when the boat started to tilt. So without giving it much thought, I went inside, and in 15 seconds, the boat had capsized.”
Rescuers had to wait until Tuesday to recover the trapped sailor, who was wearing a neoprene survival suit in the freezing water. Spanish coast guard divers said the rescue mission was “verging on impossible” considering how rough the waters were that day. Three helicopters were sent to rescue Camprubi, and the team first strapped buoyancy balloons to the ship’s hull to prevent it from continuing to sink.
The next day, two Spanish coast guard divers jumped into the treacherous water to save the French sailor, who was taken to a hospital following the event and declared uninjured.
“Each life saved is our greatest reward,” Spain’s Maritime Safety and Rescue Society said in a tweet.