Search suspended for man missing from Atlantic yacht

French maritime authorities suspended the search on August 18, 2026, for a man believed to have been aboard a 13-metre yacht found adrift off France's Atlantic coast.

The Atlantic maritime prefecture said search teams found the yacht's overturned dinghy early Tuesday afternoon, but found no trace of the missing man. It said the directed search was suspended because there was no new information.

The Etel Regional Operational Surveillance and Rescue Centre was alerted on Monday evening after the yacht was found adrift around 130 kilometres southwest of Penmarc'h. A passenger aboard a Brittany Ferries vessel travelling from Portsmouth in Britain to Bilbao in Spain had spotted the yacht apparently in distress.

An AFP journalist aboard the ferry reported that the vessel interrupted its voyage and launched a rescue boat with three crew members. They found no signs of life aboard the yacht or in the water around it.

After being halted overnight, the search was expanded during the day with a helicopter and an Atlantique 2 maritime patrol aircraft. Maritime authorities had said the yacht was drifting in relatively calm seas.