Clipper Crew Rescued in Mid-Ocean
On March 31, Clipper Round the World Race sailor Andrew Taylor (age 46) went overboard while performing a sail change on Derry~Londonderry~Doire’s foredeck. Taylor’s recovery from the tumultuous North Pacific during Race 10, midway between Qingdao, China, and San Francisco, was no simple task, as you will see in the video below. Despite immediate and appropriate MOB response to Andrew’s personal distress beacon, heavy seas and gusts up to 70 knots made keeping visual contact impossible.
Fortunately, Taylor’s dry suit, life vest and sea survival skills kept him alive while attentive crewmates focused on finding him. Taylor spent an arduous hour and 40 minutes in the cold water, suffering mild hypothermia and some bruising, but he was otherwise in good shape and will remain on board for the remainder of the trip to San Francisco. “Andrew is in good spirits and has been chatting away with his crew," says Derry~Londonderry~Doire’s skipper Sean McCarter, "and whilst clearly shocked, he is quite happy to be alive I think!"
Recent MOB incidents here in San Francisco Bay remind us how challenging an exercise this can be, even under much milder conditions, and Derry~Londonderry~Doire’s response is a reminder to us all about the importance of a clear response. "The crew reacted perfectly, nobody panicked, everyone went through the procedures that we practice religiously in Clipper Race training," says McCarter. "The MOB button was pressed giving us the position on the electronic chart plotter, the engine was started, boat checked for ropes in the water and staysail dropped all within minutes."
Taylor and other Clipper racers continue their slog across the world’s largest ocean and are expected to arrive in San Francisco in just over a week’s time. Meanwhile, Clipper founder, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, age 75, has announced some news of his own. Sir Robin will be singlehanding his Open 60 Grey Power in France’s Route de Rhum race this November 2.
This will be the tenth anniversary of the 3,500 mile Transatlantic race from St Malo, France to Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe in the French West Indies. "Solo sailing is where I feel most at home — no one else can benefit you or let you down — it is all in my hands," says Sir Robin. "The Route de Rhum is one of the classics — it is a very well-run race.” He last sailed the Route de Rhum in 1982 and will be the oldest participant to enter the race.