He was realizing his life’s dream. Passionate about sailing for over 40 years, Philippe Benoiton had only one desire: to cross the Atlantic alone, on a sailboat. Since this Sunday, he has finally taken up this challenge by participating in the Transat Cap Martinique, an amateur race for sailboats of 10 to 12 meters. Having left from La Trinité-sur-Mer, in Morbihan, where he was licensed, he was sailing off the coast of Spain when he fell from his boat during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday. His body was finally recovered after several hours of searching.
“At 1:30 p.m., the body of Philippe Benoiton was recovered off the coast of Cape Finisterre by the Spanish MRCC (maritime coordination and rescue center), the race management said in a press release. Philippe was a 63-year-old experienced sailor, married and father of a family. The entire organizing team sends its most sincere condolences to his family and all his loved ones. »
“We are upset”
A trained veterinarian, Angevin worked in an Argos veterinary center for several years. After studying at the National Veterinary School of Nantes (Loire-Atlantique), he followed a certification program at the University of Tennessee to specialize in canine physical rehabilitation. In Beaucouzé, he created the Pin veterinary clinic, where his death saddened everyone.
“Before, he didn’t have time, with his work,” Doctor Hobé told Ouest-France. He went back to it when he freed up some time. He was someone who was not inactive and rather adventurous, especially when you plan to cross the Atlantic.” At Argos too, his colleagues could not hide their sadness. “He was training hard, he had been going away on weekends to train for a while,” explained a colleague, while an employee slipped in: “We are upset.”
His love of the sea was intense. “Starting from this Cap Martinique is a dream come true,” he declared a few days before the start of the race on Sunday. I’ve been dreaming of it for forty years. I’ve known lots of people who did deckchairs and it’s my turn today. It’s just joy. I really want to have fun and do this with a bunch of great people. »
For this first transatlantic crossing, he even decided to represent a local association in Saint-Philibert, “Passe Coque”, which restores abandoned boats to pass them on to sailing schools or NGOs. “In a port like this, there are lots of boats that are useless, that are rotting,” he observed. The association takes back the boats, restores them and offers them to other associations. »
Setting out for 7,000 km between La Trinité-sur-Mer and Fort-de-France, he ultimately only covered a small part of it. Faced with 20 knots of wind and 2 m waves, Philippe Benoiton fell from his boat. Before departure, he explained that a “successful Cap Martinique would be to arrive just after the arrival of my wife and my daughters who will be in Fort-de-France”. His destiny decided otherwise.