Stranded ’Financier of the Suburbs’ Finally Reaches Rabat After Maritime Ordeal

Rodolphe Pedro, his two daughters, the captain and a mechanic had left Tetouan by boat on July 6 to reach the Rabat marina on the Atlantic coast. The ship breaks down after two days of navigation. "The port authorities insisted on towing us to the rescue dock because with the Covid-19 context, we would not have been able to enter Morocco if we had set foot in Sebta," explains Rodolphe Pedro. A certificate was then issued to them by the Guardia Civil, which states that the five passengers did not reach Sebta, reports Challenge.

On the Moroccan side, an "unfortunate interpretation" was made of this towing. Since the navigation authorization held by Rodolphe Pedro allows him to navigate in national waters and not international waters. "Explanations were needed. And explaining at sea is complicated because there is a communication problem," stresses this man who has been investing since 2016 in textiles and yacht rentals in Morocco.

While the passengers were short of water, they were rescued by the "chain of solidarity that does not exist elsewhere." "I have sailed all over the world and I have never seen anything like it. Everyone has been supportive, whether it’s the ministers, the walis, the pachas, the caids... the authorities in Rabat supported us in this adventure. I sincerely thank everyone," says Rodolphe Pedro.

Thursday, July 9. The boat docks at the port of Larache after a long night. The Swiss investor and the four other passengers were taken to the Moulay Abdellah hospital in Salé where they underwent a Covid-19 screening test and then quarantined for two days. They tested negative. They were allowed to go home.