11th Hour Racing Team May Have Hit Whale, 2 Crew Members Injured

11th Hour Racing Team May Have Hit Whale, 2 Crew Members Injured

 

 

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Just days after leaving Newport, the 11th Hour Racing team reports that it was in a serious collision during the boat’s race to Denmark.

According to the team, “At 1541 UTC on Thursday while racing in Leg 5 of The Ocean Race, 11th Hour Racing Team activated its Hazard Button to alert Race Control and the wider fleet they had hit something, suspected to be a marine mammal or megafauna.” 

The crew reported the suspected strike to the International Whaling Commission. 

The boat was traveling 750 miles off Newfoundland, Canada's coast — traveling at 29 knots [33mph/54 kmph] —  some of the fastest conditions yet seen in the global Ocean Race.

The impact was sudden, and the crew onboard were thrown forward, causing two injuries onboard. Trimmer Charlie Dalin (FRA) has a suspected mild concussion, and Media Crew Member Amory Ross (USA) has injured his shoulder. The Race’s on-call Doctor - Dr. Spike Briggs - has spoken to the sailors onboard the boat by satellite phone. Dr. Briggs has prescribed painkillers, bunk rest, and plenty of water to hydrate, and is monitoring the situation closely. The two sailors are reported to be comfortable, and their next of kin have been informed. 

The three other sailors onboard are all uninjured. Skipper Charlie Enright (USA), Navigator Simon Fisher (GBR), and Trimmer Justine Mettraux (SUI) - will continue to race the boat towards their final destination - Aarhus, Denmark.

After the incident, the crew slowed the boat down to conduct checks: the boat, as far as they could visually assess, had no damage, according to 11th Hour.