Inter Invest - The Ocean Fifty Inter Invest capsized on the Transat Café L'Or's stormy first night; her crew were rescued
On a rough opening night that flipped three Ocean Fifty trimarans off the Cotentin, the Inter Invest went over in gusts and big seas; all the skippers were rescued, some winched out by helicopter in the dark.
What happened.
On the stormy first night of the Transat Café L'Or, 25–26 October 2025, the Ocean Fifty trimaran Inter Invest capsized in roughly 25-knot winds and 2.5-metre seas off the Cotentin, near Guernsey — one of three Ocean Fifties to flip that night. All the skippers were rescued safely, some winched out by helicopter in the dark. The light, fast trimarans proved vulnerable to the gusts.
On the opening night of the Transat Café L'Or — the doublehanded transatlantic race formerly known as the Transat Jacques Vabre — the fleet ran straight into rough weather in the English Channel. In the night of 25–26 October 2025, in roughly 25-knot winds and swells of more than 2.5 metres off the Cotentin peninsula near Guernsey, three of the race's Ocean Fifty trimarans capsized: Lazare, Koesio and Inter Invest. The Ocean Fifty is a 50-foot (15.24 m) multihull, fast and light, and in the gusty, lumpy conditions the class proved badly exposed — a first-night 'hécatombe' for these boats. The crews stayed with their overturned hulls and all the skippers were brought to safety; some, including Koesio's Audrey Ogereau and Erwan Leroux, were winched off by helicopter in the dark. Inter Invest's two crew were recovered unharmed. No one was lost, but the night was a stark demonstration of how quickly a high-performance multihull can be flipped and how demanding a night rescue offshore can be.
What it teaches.
- 1A light, fast multihull trades stability for speed — and the gusts collect the bill. Three Ocean Fifties flipped on this one rough night. On any quick multihull, reef early, watch for the gust that overpowers the boat, and respect that a capsize is often unrecoverable — these go over and stay inverted.
- 2Stay with the upturned hull and wait for help. The crews here came through by staying with their capsized boats, some winched off by helicopter at night. An inverted multihull floats and is a big target; get up out of the water onto it, clip on, and conserve warmth and strength until rescue arrives.
- 3A beacon and AIS turn a night capsize into a found one. These offshore racers were located and lifted out in darkness because they could be tracked and signal. Carry an EPIRB and personal PLBs, keep AIS running, and make sure every crew member can trigger an alert from the water or the hull.
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