This just in from "The Scuttlebutt"

* At 0400 GMT Monday April 25, the search and rescue authorities at the CROSS Gris Nez were informed of the capsize of Yves Parlier's radical 60ft catamaran Médiatis Région Aquitaine. Chilean cargo ship deviated from its
course to collect Parlier who is now out of danger. Parlier is suffering from broken ribs. The cargo ship is currently bound for Spain and is scheduled to dock in Tarragona on Thursday April 28. The capsize took place during Parlier's second attempt on Laurent Bourngnon's singlehanded 24 hour
record. - Full story, The Daily Sail subscription website, www.thedailysail.com

P.S. There is an article about the F-18 class in that same issue of "The Daily Sail".

MORE POPULAR THAN EVER
(The Daily Sail subscription website talked with Formula 18 UK Class
President Don Findley about this growing class and their upcoming World
Championship. Here are a few excerpts.)

One of the world's most successful dinghy classes at present is the Formula
18 catamaran. This year the class will be holding its World Championship at
the Hoek of Holland from 9-16 July and this for this entries are having to
be capped at a whopping 160 boats - up from 153 last year. Internationally
Hobie are the dominant force in the class, but they do not have it all
their own way. While Hobie had just over half the hardware at the Worlds in
Puntala last year, 18% sailed the French Cirrus, the Nacra F18 14%,
followed by the Italian Mattia, the new Martin Fischer-designed
Dreadnought-bowed Capricorn from Australia, the Flyer from Germany, the KL
Phenix from France and the Dart Hawk. At present there are more than 14
different designs of Formula 18 in existence.

That the Formula 18 is a box rule with so many different manufacturers does
make for a slight administrative headache, says (UK Class President Don)
Findley. "We aren't a class like the Tornado and the RYA have had
difficulty grasping this. We are an association of classes. The Hobie Tiger
is a class, as is the Sirrus and the Nacra F18 is a class. So we are an
association of classes working on the same box measurement." Interestingly
despite the Formula 18 being a box rule - no one has pitched up at the
Worlds in a fully custom-built boat. However a small amount of
customization of production boats does go on within what is allowed under
class rules. - The Daily Sail, www.thedailysail.com

I'm very sad about this. I had high hopes for his planing hull design. I hope they can recover the boat.

I too was watching this design. In reading his description of how he went over, I wondered why he did not turn into the wind, but that just may be a translation thing or any number of reasons to flip a 60ft cat, it cant be much harder than flipping my 20. I hope they get it all back up and flying again soon.

That cat is designed to reach so he was probably on a hard broad reach when he became overpowered. You're 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' when reaching and your best course of depowering is to ease sheets/travelers. Also remember that he has TWO sheets and travelers on that thing.

It is dissapointing news - I hope they recover it and have another go at it.

Right,, Did not consider that option, driving down is the equivalent maneuver in that case. He may have had a spin too, originally looking at the pictures there was no spin but I saw one that looked as though there were head sails on the leeward sail only. Must be tough to tack and have to furl or take down the jib every time. All sorts of Tech issues with a boat like that.