John Fisher, a yachtsman born in Britain who was living in Australia, was declared lost at sea on Tuesday after falling overboard Monday during the around-the-world Volvo Ocean Race.
It was Fisher’s first race as a crew member on the Hong Kong Challenger Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag, The Telegraph reported. The 47-year-old fell overboard around 2 p.m. local time in the Southern Ocean off Chile.
The Scallywag team searched for the yachtsman for hours in strong winds and cold water temperatures but were unable to find him. He was wearing survival gear when he went overboard, the race organizers said, The Telegraph reported.
The teams were on leg 7 of the 45,000 nautical mile race when Fisher disappeared, going from Auckland, New Zealand to Iajai, Brazil.
“This is heart-breaking for all of us,” Volvo Ocean Race President Richard Brisius said Tuesday morning in a statement, The Telegraph reported. “As sailors and race organizers 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.”
A ship was headed to the area to assist with the rescue operation, but was still over a day away from the yacht’s location on Tuesday, USA Today reported.
The other ships were 200 miles downwind and could not make their way back to the Scallywag team’s location, The Telegraph reported.
Fisher had sailed on other big boats and was a veteran of the Sydney-Hobart, one of the most difficult offshore races in the world. The Volvo Ocean race started in October and is scheduled to finish in June.
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