Crew member Volvo Ocean Race overboard in Southern Ocean

[thieuster]

Yesterday, lots of sailing related websites and blogs filled with the tragical news that a member of the VOR boat 'Skallywag' went overboard in the Southern Ocean.

John Fisher (UK) fell overboard roughly halfway between New Zealand and Cape Horn. Winds are 35 knots with even higher gusts. The water is just above freezing point. Despite the fact that was wearing the proper gear, things don't look good.

I opened my laptop for an update on the VOR website this morning. Sadly there's no other news. He's now in the water for almost 8 hrs. It's really sad for family and friends. His crew needs to decide what to do; how long can they keep on searching in these conditions? Terrible.

(It's more or less a scenario like the one in 2006 when Dutch sailor Hans Horrevoets fell in the water on the Atlantic in May. In more or less the same weather conditions. Amazingly, he was found by his crew, but he was no longer alive when he was picked up. A Dutch Marine vessel took Hans over from the VOR racer and brought him home. Hans was married to a grandniece of mine. So from a not-to-far distance, I've witnessed a similar situation).

M

[Chris_in_the_UK]

Currently in New Zealand and the news does not sound very positive TBH.

[Vanguard]

Very sad, you'd think they could put GPS trackers on them in the event they go overboard. The technology is available and cheap too.

[Chris_in_the_UK]

It’s 22.55 at night here (NZ) and the latest news reports are suggesting the search is ‘giving up as lost’.

Sad loss.

[PickleB]

Very sad. I saw it on the BBC site and wondered what ocean race was in the 'Atlantic' at the moment (that's where they put 1,400 miles west of Cape Horn). They may have corrected it by now...I did contact them about it.

I've been following the race on their website and this is their latest message:

UPDATE 0830 UTC

An update on Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag crew member John Fisher, from Richard Brisius, the President of the Volvo Ocean Race:

This morning I am extremely sad to inform you that one of our sailors, John Fisher, from Team Sun Hung Kai / Scallywag, is now presumed to have been lost at sea.

This is heart-breaking for all of us. As sailors and race organisers losing a crew member at sea is a tragedy we don't ever want to contemplate. We are devastated and our thoughts are with John’s family, friends and teammates.

It's nothing to do with this accident, but Scallywag had been doing their own thing and making the race interesting by not following the rest of the fleet. Following the fatalities from Turn the Tide's collision, this is going to cast a pall over the final legs and any victory celebrations. Let's hope that there are no more incidents.

[Dazzler]

Very sad, a man at the top of his game doing probably one of the toughest things you can do. Clipper lost a couple of people this year too I think.

[thieuster]

Very sad, you'd think they could put GPS trackers on them in the event they go overboard. The technology is available and cheap too.

They have ‘m on them. Spinlock supplies the Personal Safety Gear with the MoB1 (Man Over Board) devices. An array of features including a GPS. But, don’t forget that it takes a while to stop and turn a racing machine like Scallywag: turning upwind, lowering the sails, starting the (rather small!!!) engine, sailing upwind to the MOB spot.
During that time, the casualtee is in the water, in waves as big as a house.

[PickleB]

Very sad, you'd think they could put GPS trackers on them in the event they go overboard. The technology is available and cheap too.

The organisers supply a plethora of 'AIS SRS' units to each boat for the race (pdf link). In the past, this has been Kannad equipment, eg the SafeLink R10 (link).

That doesn't seem to have been enough in this instance.

[PickleB]

I'd normally be on the lookout for the accident investigation report, but I see that Scallywag seems to be registered in the UAE (Team Sun Hung Kai / Scallywag - mmsi 470437000 - callsign A6E2498 - aka Azzam). Looking at these two sites:

• www.fta.gov.ae

• www.dot.abudhabi.ae

...I'm not sure how routinely they investigate maritime accidents.

[PickleB]

Meanwhile, the first boat has reached Cape Horn and the fleet is now spread out a bit as the boats used different tactics on the approach.

[PickleB]

The organisers supply a plethora of 'AIS SRS' units to each boat for the race (pdf link). In the past, this has been Kannad equipment, eg the SafeLink R10 (link).

That doesn't seem to have been enough in this instance.

And now we know why...see Volvo Ocean Race Scrutinizes Safety Measures for:

For Scallywag, this lifesaving new technology went away when, two days out of Auckland, the boat’s lone A.I.S. antenna at the top of the 100-foot mast was damaged in the strong winds.

“If we had our A.I.S., we would have found him,” Witt said. “I’ve learned that redundancies in this system is an example of change, like a second antenna.”

[PickleB]

And they've arrived...Scallywag arrive in Itajaí:

Team SHK/Scallywag pulled up to the dock at the bustling Itajaí Race Village at mid-afternoon on Thursday, completing its delivery trip from the west coast of Chile.

Update Scallywag into port and out of the water: YouTube.

Vestas 11th Hour Racing back into the water: YouTube.

[RobDad]

My brother is very heavily involved in the technical side of the VOR - it’ll be interesting to catch up with him but he’s very busy at the moment I imagine. Very sad business all round.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[PickleB]

The Southern Ocean has taken a toll, MAPFRE suspends racing, fortunately it's mechanical damage this time:

A section of the mast track came unglued from the mast five days ago, but until now the team has done a good job of limiting the impact of the damage on its performance through various jury-rig solutions.

But now, with 2,000 miles of racing left to the finish line in Itajaí, Brazil, skipper Xabi Fernández has elected to suspend racing...

...The penalty for suspending racing is that you must remain out of the race for a minimum of 12 hours, and return to the same location where you suspended before resuming the race. Given the speed of the other boats, this latest development has the potential to knock the overall race leader back significantly.

The forecast, however, works in MAPFRE’s favour. A ridge of high pressure is expected to slow the frontrunners and allow the trailing boats to catch up.

“A complete restart just after the Falklands,” is how leg leader Bouwe Bekking describes it.

[PickleB]

It's not going too well out there:

• 17:30 UTC on Friday afternoon, Turn the Tide on Plastic informed Race Control it had reduced sail to slow down, so the crew could ensure the integrity of its mast/rigging. An initial inspection has revealed an anomoly in the spreader (a piece of rigging that helps to support the mast) set up. The team has slowed down while it determines what needs to be done before returning to full-load sailing (link).

• Vestas 11th Hour Racing has dismasted while racing in Leg 7 of the Volvo Ocean Race. The team is safe and reports there is no immediate danger to the crew. The team reported that the mast broke at 15:59 UTC and Race Control was informed of the situation at 16:15 UTC on Friday afternoon (link).

[thieuster]

Luckily they are all safe. After days and days going downwind, they have to face an upwind part of the race. In short: even more shaking and rattling.

These boats made out of composite materials need constant care. Having said that: breaking masts is something that's familiar with sailors the moment they step out of the optimist into another type of boat. And not only the sailors are familiar... also their parents' (and later sponsor's) wallet.

Menno

[GOAT]

I heard Volvo are pulling out of the whole sailing thing....and I think they actually own the race as it were, rather than sponsor it???

[RobDad]

Reading this thread with interest - I don’t follow sailing but my brother is very heavily involved with the Volvo Ocean race, I imagine he’s rather busy at the moment


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[PickleB]

Both 11th Hour Racing and Scallywag are on their way to Brazil (link) and hope to be ready for the next leg. The former has pressed an old streetlamp, found on the Falklands, into service as a jury-rig mast.

[PickleB]

[canuck]

I would have loved to have gone sailing through seas like those shown in the video. Experience and working as a team in these situations really appeal to me... but as I now have young children I know I would never choose to take the even limited risk.

Locally there are lots of fisherman who spend their life as sea yet never learn how to swim.... because they have no intention of ever leaving the boat. I wonder if you find any racers who don’t know how to swim for similar reasons. I suspect it’s very unlikely.


Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app

[PickleB]

^^^^^^

Racers should be wearing a lifejacket. It's difficult to swim in one and it's not something you'd take off so that you can swim around waiting to be rescued. It's when things get relaxed in lighter weather and you're cruising that lifejackets might not be worn. The problem is then that, while it may be quite warm out of the water, when you fall in the water is cold(er) and your ability to swim is rapidly impaired.

[ralphy]

^^^^^ Everyone who is in a boat should wear a buoyancy aid.

R

[PickleB]

^^^^^ Everyone who is in a boat should wear a buoyancy aid.

R

In general, I agree, but I must say that there have been times when I have chosen not to do so, and others when I have relaxed the requirement for my crew to do so (that is, to wear lifejackets...I don't canoe or row and so wouldn't countenance them wearing buoyancy acids).

[thieuster]

Last Summer, a Dutch yacht lost its keel. The boat capsized near Ostend. It happened so quickly that the crew had no time to send a mayday. 3 members of the crew drowned, 3 were saved. Among the survivors a 17 y/o teammate of my son's sailing team. He'd been in the water for almost 7 hrs before he was picked up by a vessel after staying on the hull of the capsized boat.

Two weeks later, he and his family were moored next to us in Lelystad Harbour. Like we did, they used the boat as their 'caravan' because the boys were attending the World Championships. Despite being discrete, we hit the subject of the disaster. That's when I heard about the pros and cons of certain PFDs (Personal Floating Devices).

The boy who'd survided (and the other two) were wearing a 'dinghy vest', this exact version, to be precise: (sorry couldn't find a smaller pic)



This vest made it possible for him to swim back to the hull of the boat and climb on top(...) of the hull. The three who'd drowned were wearing inflatable life jackets. Brilliant to stay afloat but in this case, they were unable to swim back to the hull. My son's teammate saw them drown in front of his very eyes. One of them being his granddad.

As said, two weeks later, they sailed the North Sea on an identical yacht from Breskens (near Flushing) to IJmuiden and then inland via Amsterdam to Lelystad. Father and son told me: "We're sailors, we're from a family of fishermen. We cannot stay on shore. We have to sail. And sailing is the best way to deal with the grief and loss." Who am I to argue...

Menno

[ralphy]

In general, I agree, but I must say that there have been times when I have chosen not to do so, and others when I have relaxed the requirement for my crew to do so (that is, to wear lifejackets...I don't canoe or row and so wouldn't countenance them wearing buoyancy acids).

I used the term 'buoyancy aid' as a general one for some form of flotation device, my wider point being that anything is better than nothing (IMO) when you unwillingly leave a boat and end up in the water. I've always insisted on something being worn when I've taken people out on my boats - even to the point of flotation devices for dogs.

R