Pete Goss & Raphaël Dinelli reunite for offshore race 30 years after legendary Southern Ocean rescue
by Stuart Elford 3 Jul 17:07 BST
DMS Vinyl © DMS Vinyl
Thirty years after one of the most celebrated rescues in maritime history, Pete Goss MBE and French yachtsman Raphaël Dinelli will reunite at sea as crew mates in the 2026 Drheam Cup offshore race.
Their participation aboard the DMS Vinyl racing multihull marks almost three decades since Goss abandoned his own Vendée Globe campaign on Christmas Day 1996 to save Dinelli from a sinking yacht in hurricane-force conditions in the Southern Ocean.
The reunion comes amid renewed international interest in the extraordinary story, with discussions under way regarding a feature film based on the famous rescue.
Since the launch of DMS Vinyl's Dazcat 1495 multihull 'Waste Knot' in summer 2025, the team has been working closely with ocean adventurer and offshore racer Pete Goss to build a serious offshore racing campaign. Pete previously partnered with DMS during the 2010 Route du Rhum.
'Waste Knot' is the flagship of a DMS sailing campaign highlighting plastic waste and ocean care, demonstrating how old vinyl records and recovered plastics can be repurposed into new vinyl records for music clients around the world.
The team has already secured impressive results in major RORC offshore races during 2026 and will head to Cherbourg for the 12 July start of the Drheam Cup, a 600-mile offshore race finishing in Lorient and attracting more than 100 teams.
DMS owner Dave Summers said: "We aim to highlight the damage plastic is doing to the oceans by promoting a very powerful message: that old vinyl records and other plastic waste can be reused and repurposed in the manufacture of new vinyl records. Hence Waste Knot was born.
DMS and our production partner GZ Media continue to invest in processes that reduce the need for virgin materials while maintaining the same high-quality finished product."
The crew for the Drheam Cup includes Pete Goss MBE, Dave Summers, Brendan Seward, Andy Sinclair, Graeme McLeod and Matt Blakeston. The team also invited Raphaël Dinelli to join them for the race to mark 30 years since he and Pete became forever linked in sailing history.
Background: How Goss and Dinelli met
British sailor Pete Goss is most famously remembered for his heroic actions during the 1996-97 Vendée Globe. Racing Aqua Quorum, he abandoned his race and sailed back into hurricane-force conditions in the Southern Ocean to rescue fellow competitor Raphaël Dinelli after his yacht capsized and began sinking.
On Christmas Day 1996, Dinelli issued a distress signal. Goss, approximately 160 miles away, turned back into mountainous seas and extreme winds to reach him. He successfully rescued Dinelli before sailing to Tasmania. Remarkably, after landing Dinelli safely ashore, Goss returned to the race and ultimately finished sixth overall.
For his extraordinary bravery, Goss was awarded the French Légion d'Honneur and an MBE.
Pete Goss said: "To be lining up on the same start line as Raphaël almost 30 years after Christmas 1996 is something neither of us could have imagined.
The rescue taught me enduring lessons about leadership, teamwork and making decisions under pressure—lessons that continue to shape my life today and my work as an international keynote speaker.
The Drheam Cup is a fantastic race and I am delighted to be racing once again with Dave and the DMS team. Their commitment to reducing waste and protecting the oceans is something I care deeply about.
With renewed interest in the story, and the possibility of a feature film, this reunion makes the occasion even more special."
Raphaël Dinelli said: "I'm really looking forward to getting back out at sea and, above all, to having the opportunity to sail with Pete again. Despite a busy schedule filled with the projects I'm currently working on, there was no way I was going to miss this occasion. Thirty years after we first met under such extraordinary circumstances, this moment carries a special meaning for me. Of course, I'm approaching it with a great sense of enjoyment. But to be completely honest, my competitive spirit has never left me. I still love a challenge and always strive to perform at my best.
I'm simply looking forward to experiencing once again those unique sensations that I've always loved."