Yacht race sailor rescued after 90 minutes in Pacific Ocean
An amateur sailor has been rescued from the Pacific Ocean an hour and a half after falling overboard during one of the world’s longest yacht races.
Londoner Andrew Taylor, 46, a crew member on board the Derry-Londonderry-Doire boat in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, fell over while changing a sail in rough conditions.
He was not seen for over an hour and race organisers said his lifejacket and dry suit saved his life.
Mr Taylor is believed to be suffering from shock and possible hypothermia, and is being treated on board the yacht by fellow crew member and Londoner, paramedic Susie Redhouse, 42.
Clipper organisers said Mr Taylor fell in at 12.43am Irish time today but was not seen again until 1.55am and taken from the ocean by his team-mates at 2.13am.
The yacht was about halfway on the 5,600-mile leg across the Pacific from Qingdao, China, to San Francisco when the accident happened.
Mr Taylor had been working on a sail change at the bow with skipper Sean McCarter, 32, from Derry, who immediately stopped the yacht, turned around, initiated the man overboard procedure and sent out a mayday alert.
He is said to be in relatively good spirits, awake and talking with fellow crew members.
Conditions were described as rough at the time with winds of 35 knots, although visibility was said to be clear.
Race director Justin Taylor explained: “In these conditions a man overboard is swept away from the boat very quickly and visual contact can be lost in the swell.
“We have a well-rehearsed procedure to mark the position, stop racing and engaged the engine to search for and recover the crew member as quickly as possible.
“An hour and a half is a very long time to be in the water in these conditions, but a combination of his sea survival training and seven months at sea as well as wearing a life jacket and dry suit will have contributed enormously to his survival.”
It is the fourth time in the Clipper’s 18-year history that someone has fallen overboard and pulled from the water – in previous incidents the crew members were recovered within minutes.
Race founder and chairman Sir Robin Knox-Johnston said: “The sea can be a harsh environment and we rehearse every eventuality, including a man overboard.
“The MOB procedures were put into practice flawlessly by the crew in difficult conditions. It is a tribute to their training and determination that Andrew was successfully recovered.
“It is always a concern when we have a major incident and we will want to analyse the circumstances in detail to see if there is anything we need to learn or review as a result.”
The Pacific leg of the Clipper, between China and the US, is the 10th of 16 stages in the world’s longest ocean race at more than 40,000 miles.
