Cape Town - The wide-ranging and multi-organisational search for French solo sailor Emmanuel Dailler, who was sailing on a white yacht, has ended after information was received that he arrived safely at his destination, Martinique Island in the French Caribbean, early Sunday morning.
Dailler was able to contact his family to inform them he had arrived.
Before Sunday, Dailler was last heard from when he departed from Hout Bay Yacht Club on March 2.
This led to concern among the Dailler family and the involvement of numerous authorities.
The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI), French authorities and the SA Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) appealed to seafarers across the West Coast to keep a lookout and report anything that could help establish the sailor’s whereabouts.
After no news, the appeal was widened to across the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, as well as the larger maritime community.
Dailler’s arrival comes after the MRCC in Cape Town informed that Dailler and his yacht were not overdue and were expected to arrive by the end of last week.
Almar Schutte, operations supervisor of MRCC Cape Town, said last week: “The yacht and skipper are not considered overdue. MRCC Cape Town was informed of the intended ETA to the skipper’s destination being by the end of this week, and that ETA being subject to prevailing weather and circumstances. It is for the relevant search and rescue authority to determine if this is an overdue craft.”
At the time, NSRI CEO Cleeve Robertson said no formal search could be launched yet because of scant information but they hoped to uncover the mystery via the wide appeal.
NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon said they were relieved to hear that Dailler was safe and thanked all those involved in co-ordinating the search effort. NSRI remained in close contact with the family in co-operation with French authorities and South African authorities.
Lambinon gave some trips to sailors and said: “We urge all sailors to ensure that their safety equipment, such as Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRB), are up to date and in good working condition, as they can be life-saving in an emergency situation. Always have a number of communication devices to keep in communication when embarking on long voyages.”
Lambinon said they were confident more information will be forthcoming following this news.