A Belgian rower was rescued on January 21 after his single-man vessel capsized in rough seas more than 1,100 nautical miles east of Puerto Rico.

Benoit Bourguet, 47, was competing in the World’s Toughest Row Race, a 3,000-mile event from San Sebastian de la Gomera, Spain, to Nelson’s Dockyard in Antigua, when his boat, the City of Liverpool, was reportedly struck by two rogue waves in 13 to 15-foot seas. 

The waves forced him to deploy and board his life raft, which he remained tied to until rescue.

The United States Coast Guard’s Sector San Juan Command Center received an unregistered emergency beacon signal from Bourguet’s rowboat at approximately 2 am on January 21, followed by a second signal from a personal locating beacon device in the same area. 

Attempts by the race safety coordinator and fellow competitor vessel Old Sea Dogs to contact Bourguet went unanswered.

Watchstanders issued an Automated Mutual-Assistance Vessel Rescue (AMVER) callout to nearby ships and contacted the 1,092-foot Liberian-flagged tanker Horten, which diverted approximately 110 miles to the distress location over 12 hours.

Once in the area, the Horten crew spotted Bourguet’s life raft and used a life ring to safely bring him aboard. Bourguet, who had been in distress for roughly 24 hours, was dehydrated but otherwise in good health.

“We are very proud of the seamless coordination between our Sector San Juan Command Center watchstanders and the courageous crew and captain of the motor tanker Horten, which resulted in the successful rescue of a mariner,” said Lieutenant  Kenneth Snyder, Coast Guard Sector San Juan mission coordinator.

Tanuj Luthra, Chief Operating Officer of Zodiac Maritime, the tanker’s managing company, praised the crew’s professionalism. “This demonstrates Zodiac Maritime’s unwavering commitment to safety, and our responsibility to protect all lives at sea,” he said.

The Coast Guard emphasised the importance of registering 406 MHz emergency beacons through the NOAA US Beacon Registration, noting that properly registered beacons help search and rescue authorities respond quickly to distress signals.

The AMVER program, established in 1958, is a voluntary global ship-reporting system run by the US Coast Guard. It allows vessels over 1,000 gross tons on voyages of 24 hours or more to assist in maritime rescues worldwide.