The relatives of Joël Lanilis had not heard from the navigator since his departure from Papeete, Tahiti, on October 14, 2022.
His relatives had no news since his departure from Papeete. The body of Breton sailor Joël Lanilis, originally from the island of Ouessant, was found aboard his sailboat Kézako on Sunday February 12 by Japanese coast guards, reveals The Telegram. The navigator had started a solo world tour in June 2019.
“I learned the sad news by a call from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs”, explained to the Breton daily Pascale Tardy, the sister of Joël Lanilis.
Approached by a cargo ship
The sailor’s family had lost the thread of his trip when he left the port of Papeete on October 14, with the aim of reaching New Caledonia. After several weeks without news, a nephew of Joël Lanilis had alerted the authorities, and in particular the Joint Rescue Coordination Center in Nouméa, New Caledonia.
The ship’s automatic identification system had made it possible to retrace its trajectory: the Kézako was already adrift five days after leaving Papeete, reports The Telegram. A cargo ship then sighted the sailboat near the Marshall Islands.
In the columns of the magazine Sails and Sailboats, Émilie Tual, a niece of Joël, had indicated that the cargo ship had approached, but had not been able to send a canoe in the direction of the boat which was visibly adrift. Photos had been sent to the family.
“There were no traces of life on the deck. One of Kesako’s sails was completely torn. There was a mess on the deck. The sailboat was drifting, tossed about by the waves. We wanted to know more” , explained to Voiles et Voiliers Émilie Tual.
Four to five days of navigation to reach it
The Kézako’s distress beacon went off again a week ago, allowing the ship to be located between Japan and Wake Atoll. The French and Japanese authorities then agreed on a rescue operation to get there, requiring four to five days of navigation. The Kézako was adrift in the North Pacific.
Finally arrived on site, the rescuers sent a dinghy to approach the sailboat. It was then that the lifeless body of Joël Lanilis was discovered. The body is now being transported to the Japanese port city of Yokohama, where it will undergo a first autopsy, before being repatriated to France.
