Search for Man Overboard in Volvo Ocean Race continues

Race Control for the Volvo Ocean Race has been informed by Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag of a man overboard incident on Monday (March 26) afternoon at approximately 13:42 UTC.

The team, along with the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC), has been conducting a search and rescue operation to recover the missing crew member, John Fisher (UK), who was wearing survival equipment when he went overboard. The remaining crew are reported safe.

Fisher, 48, who lives in Adelaide, is in his first Volvo Ocean Race after previously competing in the Sydney to Hobart race.

The incident took place approximately 1,400 miles west of Cape Horn. The wind in the search area is a strong 35-knot westerly, with accompanying sea state. Water temperature is 9-degrees Celsius. There is daylight, but weather conditions were forecast to deteriorate in the coming hours following this dispatch.

Given the gale force conditions, it is not an option to divert any of the other six Volvo Ocean Race competitors, who are at least 200 miles further east and downwind of Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag, to assist in the search operation.

The MRCC has identified a ship approximately 400 nautical miles away and it has been diverted to the scene.

Naturally, Race Control is deeply concerned, especially given the weather conditions, and Race Control in Alicante is supporting the Scallywag team and MRCC throughout the operation.

A person died in an earlier leg of the Volvo Ocean Race after Vestas 11th Hour Racing struck a fishing boat about 40km from the finish line of Leg 4 in Hong Kong.

There will have more information as it becomes available on The Volvo Ocean Race facebook page. The teams are currently on Day 10 of Leg 7, a 7,600-mile race from Auckland, New Zealand to Itajaí, Brazil, in the 45,000 nautical mile race around the world.