Coast Guard watchstanders in San Juan and the Liberia-registered tanker Horten combined efforts to save Belgian rower Benoit Bourguet after his small ocean-rowing boat capsized in the Atlantic roughly 1,100 nautical miles from Puerto Rico on 21 January 2026.
Bourguet, 47, was competing in the World’s Toughest Row, a 3,000-mile solo crossing between the Canary Islands and Antigua, when two large rogue waves hit his one-man boat City of Liverpool in 13–15 ft seas. The impact rolled the vessel and forced him to abandon it and climb into his liferaft.
The case was picked up at around 2 a.m., when Coast Guard Sector San Juan first detected an emergency signal from an unregistered 406 MHz EPIRB. A short time later, a second alert began transmitting from Bourguet’s personal locator beacon. Attempts to contact him through race officials were unsuccessful, so watchstanders turned to the Coast Guard’s AMVER voluntary ship-reporting network to request help from nearby merchant ships.
The 1,092-foot Horten, which was on passage from Germany toward offshore Guyana, answered the call. The tanker altered course by more than 100 miles and steamed for over 12 hours toward the position indicated by the beacons. Using updated location data, the crew eventually sighted a liferaft in heavy seas and confirmed that Bourguet was on board.
Despite the sea state, the crew of Horten managed to bring him alongside with a lifering and recover him safely. Bourguet had spent close to 24 hours in the raft, keeping his overturned rowing boat secured alongside. He was reported to be dehydrated but otherwise in stable condition once on board the tanker.
Lt. Kenneth Snyder, mission coordinator at Coast Guard Sector San Juan, said the rescue showed how closely Coast Guard watchstanders and the crew of Horten worked together, and he praised their quick, professional actions in difficult conditions.
Ship manager Zodiac Maritime also commended the tanker’s seafarers, highlighting their seamanship in rough weather and their cooperation with the U.S. Coast Guard in saving a life.
The incident highlighted how important properly registered emergency beacons are for offshore voyages. Coast Guard personnel noted that accurate beacon registration can shorten response times and improve the chances of a successful rescue. The case also underlined the role of the AMVER system, which uses position and route reports from participating commercial ships to match them with vessels in distress. That information allowed watchstanders to identify Horten as the best-placed ship and direct her quickly toward Bourguet’s location.
The crew of Horten is now working with race organisers to decide when and where Bourguet will be brought ashore.
