Hull & Humber skipper safely medivaced from Clipper yacht

After sustaining a fracture to his right leg on the tenth day of Race 7,
Piers Dudin, Skipper of Hull & Humber has been safely medevaced by the
Japanese Coastguard. The 50 metre rescue vessel is now motoring towards
Japan where it will rendezvous with a larger vessel which has a
helicopter that will airlift the skipper to the city of Sendai,
approximately two hours north of Tokyo.

Reports from the boat suggest that a large wave hit the boat, causing
the skipper to be swept down the deck which resulted in the injury. Hull
& Humber crew member Tom Salt was on deck at the time. He says, "Two of
the crew were on the high side and got swept across the deck - one
stopping by the helm station and the other at the starboard quarter.
Piers was on the low side of the helm station and was swept into the
guard rail and then aft on top of the other crew member who was
uninjured. We believe that Piers caught the side of his right leg around
the forward starboard stanchion of the pushpit and the force of the
water broke his shin. Kevin (Austen) was on the helm, but managed to
keep control and did not lose contact with the wheel.  Piers calmly
informed the crew he had broken his leg and was assisted down below,
giving calm instructions on what needed to be done."

In a message to the crew, Clipper Race Chairman, Sir Robin
Knox-Johnston, praised the way the team had handled the situation. "You
have all been through a difficult ordeal over the last 36 hours, one
that very few people have to cope with. Thank you for the calm manner in
which you have dealt with the situation, this is a testament to you all
and also to the way Piers has instructed and managed the team. It is
also a sign of a very good team that can really pull together in times
of need."

Following the incident and as one of the nearest vessels, Spirit of
Australia was called upon to shadow Hull & Humber as they headed west to
rendezvous with the Japanese Coastguard. With conditions safe enough for
a boat to boat transfer, skipper Brendan Hall moved on to Hull & Humber
to assist with the evacuation and has now taken charge of the English
entry for the remainder of Race 7.

In the meantime, round the world crew member Bob Bell has been appointed
acting skipper of Spirit of Australia on account of his experience and
qualifications.   

Sir Robin says, "Bob is an exceptionally qualified crew member and has
completed approximately 10,000 miles of RYA courses, including RYA
Yachtmaster with ocean theory, and bareboat chartering. He also has more
than 35,000 miles experience from the Challenge Business, completing
their training course and taking part in the BT Global Challenge
2000-2001 race as a round the world crew member on the winning boat.
Added to that, Bob has 20,000 miles of offshore experience with Clipper,
including our comprehensive training course and more than 18,000 miles
of the 09-10 Race.

"He also has the support of another well qualified Yachtswoman, Liz
Simmons who is a qualified RYA Yachtmaster and the crew is now highly
experienced. With nine round the world crew members who have each
completed the Clipper training programme and 18,000 miles of the race,
they are a strong team and I have every faith in their ability."  

Spirit of Australia and Hull & Humber have now turned east again and
been instructed by the Race Office to keep in close company for the
remainder of the 5,680 mile race to San Francisco.

"We have made the decision for both boats to continue to San Francisco
due to the weather forecast," says Sir Robin. "Between their current
location and Tokyo is the remnants of the last low pressure system which
is currently centered over the Japan sea delivering steady winds between
25 to 35 knots. To head to Japan would mean sailing against the Japan
current and a nasty wind over tide effect. These conditions are
forecasted to persist for the next 24 to 48 hours and will make for a
very difficult ride for any boat that is heading west. The safest course
for the boats is downwind and they have been instructed to head east and
take it easy whilst everyone settles in to the new arrangements."

Amongst the rest of the fleet, conditions have calmed and the mood is a
somber one as Piers's accident serves a sharp reminder to all of the
dangers of ocean racing. Jamaica Lightning Bolt's skipper, Pete
Stirling, sums it up in his report to the race office today.

"First of all I must extend my heartfelt sympathy to Piers. Over the
course of the last year, since we have known each other, Piers has
become a good friend on land and a fine adversary on the water. It's a
very cruel twist of fate that has caused him to be taken out of this
race in such a dramatic way. These things can happen in a blink of an
eye and it just demonstrates once again the immense power of the sea and
the amount of damage it can do. As one of my crew pointed out one cubic
metre of water weighs one tonne. On occasion we have a lot more water
than that coming across our decks and then it is also travelling at
speed."

With two medics on board, Cape Breton Island, along with Spirit of
Australia, was initially called upon to rendezvous with Hull & Humber to
provide assistance if needed. They were stood down but the slight detour
has clearly not affected their performance and the team is now 75
nautical miles ahead of the chasing pack. However, following yesterday's
incident skipper Jan Ridd's team isn't going to push their luck as the
Weymouth-based skipper explains.

"Last night we were carrying on the hunt for Hull & Humber and Spirit of
Australia when the satellite phone rang. I answered with a little
trepidation as we really only use this system for emergencies only. It
was Joff (Bailey, Race Director) who quickly explained that Piers had
been in a nasty accident and had possibly broken his leg and could we
standby to see if we could help as I have two qualified medics on board.
After a short while we were stood down which has allowed us to carry on
racing but under a very conservative sail plan. All of us have been made
very aware of the dangers of ocean racing."

The Canadian team's move to the front of the fleet means that their
North American rivals, California, will be fully focused on catching
them as they continue to chase the elusive home port win.

With the repairs to their mainsail now complete, skipper Pete Rollason,
says, "California is back on the race track at full speed. At about 0400
local time after battling for two hours the crew finally managed to get
the mainsail hoisted. The wind has eased this morning and so it's just
as well the repair had been finished.

"We have used the respite offered by the light winds and sunshine to
conduct various equipment checks, undertake some preventative
maintenance and servicing, dry out our kit and recharge everyone's
batteries."
Likewise, Uniquely Singapore's crew have used the break in the weather
to get their boat ship shape and ready for the next low pressure system.

"Singas has been a hive of activity today," says skipper Jim Dobie. "We
have managed to fix our instruments which had been intermittently
shutting down due to some corrosion on wiring and connectors. Craig
(Davey) went up the mast and carried out a rig check and the team on
deck worked their way through halyards and sheets, checking wear and
chafe and repairing when necessary. As the next low starts to affect us
and the winds come in again, we are in good shape and itching for some
fast downwind weather. The race is still changing and we are now eyeing
up the gate and those extra points as we march onwards to San
Francisco."

Meanwhile the crew onboard Edinburgh Inspiring Capital are busy
investigating a problem with one of their spreaders and are sailing
conservatively until the problem is resolved. This will come as a blow
to the team that is presently in second place and they will be hoping
that it can be sorted if they are to achieve their first podium of the
race.

Good news for Team Finland today as their replacement mast has now
cleared customs in Shanghai and is making its way by truck to Qingdao.
Expected to arrive at 1400 local time tomorrow, the crew will be
chomping at the bit to get to work and get back on the race track as
quickly as possible.

Positions at 0900 UTC, Friday 12 March

Boat DTF* DTL*
1 Cape Breton Island 3974nm
2 Edinburgh Inspiring Capital 4048nm 75nm
3 California 4067nm 93nm
4 Jamaica Lightning Bolt 4069nm 96nm
5 Uniquely Singapore 4077nm 104nm
6 Qingdao 4129nm 155nm
7 Hull & Humber 4148nm 174nm
8 Spirit of Australia 4148nm 175nm
9 Team Finland 5612nm 180nm
10 Cork Did not start