Tanker Recues Belgium Rower

US Coast Guard Sector San Juan Command Center watchstanders and the crew of the Horten Liberian-flagged tanker rescued a capsized rower in the Atlantic Ocean east of Puerto Rico, Wednesday night.

Benoit Bourguet, 47, was in his single-man rowing vessel, City of Liverpool, which was reportedly struck by two rogue waves and capsized in 13 to 15-foot seas which forced Bourguet to deploy and board his life raft.

Bourguet and the City of Liverpool vessel were competing in the World’s Toughest Row Race, a 3,000-mile rowing race from San Sebastian de la Gomera, Spain, to Nelson’s Dockyard in Antigua. No other vessels in the race have been reported to be in distress.

The watchstanders received an unregistered 406 MHz Emergency Positioning Indicating Radio Beacon EPIRB signal from the City of Liverpool rowboat at approximately 2 a.m. Wednesday, alerting of a possible distress approximately 1,100 nautical miles east of Puerto Rico.  Afterwards, watchstanders received a second 406 MHz emergency distress signal from a personal locating beacon device from the same area. Watchstanders were able to contact World’s Toughest Row Race Safety Coordinator, who confirmed they had not been able to contact Bourguet after numerous messages had gone unanswered.

Watchstanders issued an