PROVIDENCE – A member of the Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag Volvo Ocean Race team, John Fisher, age 47, was swept overboard and has been “presumed lost at sea” Monday evening, according to the Volvo Ocean Race Tuesday.
Fisher was from Southhampton, England, according to the BBC.
Facing the Holidays with a Cancer Diagnosis
The holidays are often painted as a time of joy, tradition, and togetherness. But for…
Learn More
No other crew members were harmed in the incident. The Volvo Ocean Race said that Fisher was on watch when he was swept overboard and had been wearing proper survival gear.
“We are devastated and our thoughts are with John’s family, friends and teammates,” said Volvo Ocean Race President Richard Brisius in a statement Tuesday morning. “This is heart-breaking for all of us. As sailors and race organisers losing a crew member at sea is a tragedy we don’t ever want to contemplate.”
The race is currently in Leg 7, traversing the Pacific Ocean on a route from Auckland, New Zealand, to Itajai, Brazil. As of Tuesday afternoon, the rest of the racing teams were approaching Cape Horn, the southern tip of South America.
“The other teams are also in very difficult conditions, with gale force winds, and approaching Cape Horn,” said race director Phil Lawrence in a statement. “So they have a lot on. Yesterday we sent them a short notice about what had happened and this morning we sent them a note that sadly John had not been found.”
The Volvo Ocean Race is expected to reach Newport in early May for its only North American stop on the way to its finish in The Hague in the Netherlands.
