Rushour - Race-leading catamaran Rushour capsized off New Caledonia; all six were hoisted to safety
The Australian multihull was leading the Groupama Race when it flipped in deteriorating weather off the Belep Islands; two distress beacons brought a 12-hour air search and a helicopter hoist for all six aboard.
What happened.
Around 1 a.m. on 17 June 2025, the Australian racing catamaran Rushour — leading the Groupama Race — capsized in deteriorating weather off the Belep Islands, north of New Caledonia, when its six crew lost control. Two distress beacons were set off. After a roughly 12-hour search, a military aircraft and a Puma helicopter located the drifting hull and hoisted all six crew to safety; no one was lost.
Around 1 a.m. on 17 June 2025, the Australian racing catamaran Rushour was leading the Groupama Race — the offshore classic out of New Caledonia — when it capsized in deteriorating weather off the Belep Islands, at the northern tip of the territory. The six crew had lost control of the fast multihull as conditions worsened. Two distress beacons were triggered, and a major rescue by the Armed Forces in New Caledonia followed: a Guardian surveillance aircraft and a Puma helicopter searched through the night and located the drifting, overturned hull around 8 a.m. The six sailors were hoisted aboard the Puma around midday, flown to Tontouta, and then taken to Nouméa, where they were received before returning to their hotel. The whole operation ran about twelve hours from the first alert; everyone survived. It was a stark reminder that even a well-crewed race boat can be flipped by the weather, and that being findable is what turns a capsize far offshore into a rescue.
What it teaches.
- 1A fast multihull can flip when the weather turns and the crew lose control. The race-leading Rushour capsized in deteriorating conditions with six aboard. Pushing a light, powerful cat hard in building wind leaves a thin line between fast and over — reduce sail early and ease off before you lose control, not after.
- 2Distress beacons are what bring help to a capsize at sea. Two beacons fired from Rushour, and that is why a 12-hour air search could find the drifting hull and lift all six off. Carry an EPIRB and personal PLBs, register them, and set them off early — they turn an invisible speck into a position.
- 3A capsized multihull floats — stay with it and wait it out. Rushour's six crew came through by staying with the overturned boat until a helicopter reached them around midday. The hull is your raft and your biggest signal; get up out of the water onto it, keep together, and hold on for what can be a long rescue.
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