Jérôme had put all his heart and energy into the renovation of his Magareva 38. Remember it, in July 2020, we give him this 1978 sailboat then dry (find the article that describes this great renovation) . The hull had to be completely rebuilt, a new rudder and a completely new deck. Jérôme spent 13 full months, more than 4000 hours of work and more than 30,000 euros on the budget.
This 12-meter monohull is his dream, his future home, his new life project. Because he intends to live on the boat and to discover the world with it. But before that, he cast off from Port-Camargue where the refit took place. Heading for Antibes, Jérôme's home region.
Travel to Antibes
His first sailings were like a dream. Jérôme sails solo. Yet, he is a neophyte in sailing. But this solid polyester construction seems to forgive him all his mistakes. Confident in his boat, Jérôme anchored on the west coast of the Cap d'Antibes, in front of the Ondes beach.
After several gales and despite the lack of protection from the open sea, Jérôme is confident in his anchorage. He has 60 m of 10 m chain which ends with a 20 kg flat anchor. His anemometer has already recorded peaks of 40 knots without having moved a muscle. It is anchored on a sandy bottom in about 5 m of water.
A nightmare Sunday
But on September 19, 2021, the scenario turned into a catastrophe. The wind is strong, stable around 30 knots, but without gusts. After lunch, Jérôme took a short nap, but kept all his senses on alert. The day before, he had seen that another yachtsman had anchored above his mooring. But the latter had left in the morning. Did he also unhook Jerome's anchor?
A few minutes of sleep and Jérôme wakes up, still groggy from his nap, at the level of the rocks. The anchor has slipped. The boat is on the coast. No time to start the engine and already the rudder is caught in the rocks. The sailor's ordeal had just begun. During the following day, Jérôme will live the agony of his sailboat, a heartbreak.
Disembark to save yourself
We are on a Sunday in the early afternoon and Jerome's first reflex is to save his skin. Under the onslaught of the waves, the boat is cracking all over. Jérôme wonders how it doesn't explode. He doesn't think of using his VHF to launch an alert on the 16, but he throws in a bag his phone, his tablet, his computer and the folder which gathers the papers of the boat. With the dinghy, fortunately inflated, he let himself slide towards the nearby beach.
Seeking help
His first thought was to dial 112, but the person he was talking to was obviously not trained for nautical interventions. He then called the SNSM station, which arrived with a RIB and a speedboat that remained offshore. Two divers boarded the boat, checked that there were no human lives at stake and simply refused to tow the boat. At that moment, the swell was strong and the keel of the sailboat was totally engaged in the rocks.
Well insured, but not covered
Insured by the MAIF, Jérôme contacts his insurance company so that it takes care of the towing. But on this Sunday afternoon, the decision makers are not present. The interlocutor is satisfied to look for a small advertisement of Magareva 38, to see that it is on sale at 10 000 euros, and to announce that a towing is more expensive than the value of the sailboat. So, she refuses to give her agreement
Jerome is still struggling on the beach, witnessing the small death of his property. He will finally spend 26 hours waiting there. Spending the night watching that no one comes to strip him of his belongings. Finally, on Monday, the insurance company agreed to tow the car.
Professional towing
It is the Stephano shipyard in Port-Vauban that will take care of it. With a tugboat, he will pull the boat out of the rocks. In this last effort, the keel will tear off and stay in place! But the boat did not capsize or dismast. It was taken alongside the barge and kept afloat with the help of a large motor pump.
Once in port, it was dismasted and put in the dry. Jérôme tried to save a few things. But his power tools were soaked in salt water. All the stuff was soaked in diesel (the tank that was leaking contained about 250 l of diesel). In the end, not much can be salvaged, except for a few clothes
A totally incompetent expert
Is this the end of the story? Not quite, because a fight with the insurance company ensued. The insurance company sent an expert who spent barely 10 minutes on the boat. He didn't bother to go around the outside of the hull, came on board, but didn't enter the cabin, didn't ask for any proof of damage, and didn't even ask for a copy of the insurance certificate
Jerome is getting hot. He prepares his own report, supported by numerous photos of all his work and all the invoices for the purchase of materials and equipment. He goes to the consulting firm and slams his fist on the desk so that it will take him into consideration.
An acceptable financial agreement
Good for him, because 1 month later, the insurance reimburses Jerome of 32000 euros for the boat and 2020 euros for his personal belongings. This is quite far from the original investment, but it allows Jerome to bounce back.
For the insurance company, the total bill is quite high, since it had to pay 12,000 euros of refloating, towing + 8,890 euros of deconstruction of the boat + 1,000 euros of dry parking and the 34,020 euros for Jerome. A total bill of nearly 56 000 euros
Despite this blow of fate, Jérôme remains very positive. He thanks all the helpers who helped him on this occasion and especially his family, his mother and his sister. He adds, " I know that things are fleeting. I hope that my adventure will inspire future unlucky people who might find themselves in my situation. These events happen much faster than we think, and not only to others... My boat continues to live and to give lessons through these articles. "
