Teams competing in the Volvo Ocean Race had to slalom their way around numerous fishing boats while approaching Hong Kong on the fourth leg of the journey, French sailor Franck Cammas said, after a collision left a Chinese fisherman dead.
The grueling, 5,800-nautical mile (5,799km) stage from Melbourne to Hong Kong was won by local group Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag in a historic victory, but news that a rival team had crashed into a Chinese fishing boat cast a cloud over celebrations.
Nine people were rescued on Saturday following the accident, which tore a hole in the side of the US-Danish team’s boat, Vestas 11th Hour Racing, and sank the fishing vessel.
Photo: EPA
Hong Kong police said a 50-year-old Chinese man who was in charge of the fishing boat was airlifted to hospital, but pronounced dead on arrival.
All Vestas crew members were safe, but the incident forced the team to officially retire from the leg.
Franck Cammas, one of France’s most successful sailors who was with China’s Dongfeng Race Team, said they were attempting to catch up with the second-placed Vestas when the accident happened.
He said there was always a risk of collision on approach to the coast, but a high number of boats in the water made the final stretch particularly challenging.
“We were in the middle of countless fishing boats. There were two areas previously that were just as dense. This was the last area before we got to Hong Kong,” he said.
These kinds of accidents are “extremely rare,” because vessels usually have equipment on board to help spot other boats, he added.
“We had to slalom a little bit... We were almost at the boat’s maximum speed, around 20 knots [37kph], with boats where everyone is concentrating on controlling the sails, with a lot of water in your face too, so it’s going fast and there’s a lot of noise,” he said.
The teams were also exhausted after battling the seas for more than two weeks, he added.
When a mayday call was issued, Dongfeng offered assistance to the US-Danish team but were told their help was not needed.
The Volvo Ocean Race is one of the world’s toughest sailing events.
This edition is the longest in the competition’s 44-year history, stretching over eight months and 45,000 nautical miles. The event ends in The Hague in the Netherlands in late June.
It is the first time Hong Kong has hosted part of the race, and teams had the navigational challenge of dodging numerous islands.
Race director Phil Lawrence said it remained unclear what caused the collision, but there were questions around whether the fishing boat was showing lights or using equipment to detect other vessels.
Hong Kong police said an investigation was underway.
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