At 1437 GMT, Giovanni Soldini sent a message to Race Control that he had Isabell Autissier on board. Upon reaching the position indicated by PRB's emergency beacons Soldini saw nothing. He took a trip up the mast to get a better view, still he saw nothing. As he searched he was in contact with his weather router Pierre Lansier. Lansier suggested that Soldini conduct a pattern search. Later in an interview, Soldini said: "He showed me a zone where to search." So Soldini started to sail Soldini in a search pattern, "I went one mile one way and then one mile back. Then, just as I was jibing I saw it -- the keel, then the boat."
What he found want an upside down PRB. He made two close passes yelling to alert Isabelle. This did not do the job. On the 3rd pass, he threw a hammer at the hull. Isabell appeared and exited through the stern escape hatch. Why had it taken so long ? Isabell had been sleeping. Once she awoke Isabelle and Giovanni spoke via VHF radio and planned how Isabelle would come aboard Fila. After coming out of PRB, Isabelle inflated a life raft. Then Soldini sailed Fila past the raft, and passed Isabelle a line. Via this line Isabelle came aboard Fila.
How did PRB get upside down ? In conversation with her shore team Isabelle discussed the incident. At the time there was only 20 knots of wind. The boat crash jybed and was knocked over with 90 degrees of heel. This resulted from an autopiliot problem. Crash gybes of this sort are not abnormal. So, up to that point, things were still normal. What was not is that PRB kept going and became fully inverted. About the only thing Isabelle had time to do was shut the cabin door and duck below. Autissier then spent 22 hours inside PRB. During this time the mast broke into pieces. Figuring that rescue would take some time, she was asleep when Fila arrived
So, what started as a routine round up ended 24 hours later when Soldini's hammer hit PRB's hull to awaken Isabell Autissier.