"Spindrift 2" maxi trimaran
The Frenchman Yann Guichard, skipper of the trimaran "Spindrift 2", has now been found guilty by a court in Lorient. During the preparations for the start of the ninth stage of the Volvo Ocean Race, the maxi trimaran had rammed a rubber dinghy off the coast of Lorient, on which there were seven people. The 40-meter boat's foil sword, cutting through the water, hit the French woman Virgine Le Namouric, 49, who had to have his left leg amputated. She also suffered several fractures on her right.
Yann Guichard
After hearings and the assessment of the case, the court decided that the skipper Guichard had violated the safety regulations and endangered the lives of others. Guichard was sentenced to six months suspended prison sentence and has to pay a fine of 25,000 euros.