Sailing
This is what happens when you have a man overboard in the Pacific Ocean
The phrase no sailing crew wants to hear is 'man overboard', but find out how this team dealt with the situation whilst thousands of miles from land during the Volvo Ocean Race.
During leg four of the Volvo Ocean Race, a professional round the world sailing race, the crew of the Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag team boat briefly lost a member of their team to the ocean. This is what happened.
3 min
Volvo Ocean Race - Man overboard
A scary moment for the Volvo Ocean Race crew Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag with a man overboard scenario.
While he standing on the boat's outrigger during a sail change, Australian sailor Alex Gough was washed overboard by a wave in winds of 15–20 knots. Fortunately, this happened during the day. Had anything been different (conditions or time of day) then the accident could have ended a lot differently.
"The main thing is, we got him back on board. He's safe, but I think it's shown everyone how hard it is to see the guy in the water," commented Skipper, David Witt. "Even on a sunny day, 18 knots of wind… You wouldn't want to be doing this in 20 knots in the dark."
He's safe, but I think it's shown everyone how hard it is to see the guy in the water
The remaining crew were able to turn the boat around rapidly and begin the process of looking for Gough. However, despite the good conditions, this even proved challenging and the team struggled to spot him in the vast ocean.
It's basically like finding a needle in a haystack looking for a small body bobbing, and if the crew member isn't wearing safety gear, like a personal eprib, then the chances of rescue diminish. Fortunately, within seven minutes Gough was located and pulled back onboard to receive a slight berating from the Skipper.
Alex Gough on the wheel
© Konrad Frost / Red Bull Content Pool
"I was pretty stupid, but luckily the guys were on to it," said Gough after being rescued. "They turned around bloody quickly. I'm fine. It was a bit scary, but off we go again."
I’m fine. It was a bit scary, but off we go again
Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag heading for the home port
© Konrad Frost / Red Bull Content Pool
Despite needing to turn around and rescue Gough, Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag is now sending it full throttle and leading the fleet into their homeport of Hong Kong.
Watch more of the Volvo Ocean Race on Red Bull TV.
