Charlotte Cassin, a marine mechanic who has spent the last two years living aboard her sailboat Areva Manu, is asking for help after losing the vessel during a rescue operation in late July. The Areva Manu, a 10-metre Jeanneau Melody, is now adrift somewhere in the Caribbean, possibly near Haiti or Jamaica.
Cassin left Simpson Bay, Saint Martin, on July 18, bound for Fort-de-France, Martinique. The first day’s sailing was uneventful, but engine problems and flooding slowed her progress as she approached Dominica. After containing the leak with bilge pumps, she was caught in a thick mass of sargassum seaweed, which wrapped around the sail-drive, rudder, and keel, leaving her unable to manoeuvre.
Over the next two days, she battled strong currents and light winds, advancing only a few miles toward Martinique. A tugboat was available but at a cost of €375 per hour, which she could not afford. As tropical weather worsened, Cassin called for assistance from CROSS Antilles-Guyane, which coordinated a rescue with the passing tanker NV Minerva Panama.
The tanker’s crew managed to bring her aboard, but the sailboat suffered significant damage—torn rigging, hull cracks, and a broken bowsprit—making it unsafe to sail. While awaiting approval to divert the tanker toward Martinique, heavy swell broke a main towing line. With only one small line holding the vessel and conditions deteriorating, the tanker’s captain decided to cut the tow to avoid sinking the yacht.
The Areva Manu was last seen on July 20 at 14°55’409N, 62°02’877W, drifting west. Cassin calls the boat her “home” and is appealing to sailors, fishermen, and shipping vessels in the region to report any sightings.
