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Wednesday, 27 December 2006 |
Six sailors injured in Sydney to Hobart yacht race
Six sailors suffered injuries after one of the race leading vessels Maximus ran into difficulties in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race.
Three of the crew had to be taken to hospital in Canberra by helicopter and they were suffering with chest, pelvic and back injuries.
Maximus had been competing for the lead in very rough seas with ABN Amro, which was also ran into problems and had to pull out.
A total of nine of the 78 yachts were forced out of the race, which is now being led by defending champion Wild Oats XI.
In 1998, a terrible storm caused six sailors to lose their lives and seven boats to be sunk or abandoned.
The race organisers were not expecting heavy weather this time but the strong winds got less early on Wednesday, making it easier for the yachts still in the race to carry on.
"The mast just came straight down the boat, down the cockpit, out the back, boom and all," explained Ian Treleaven, who was one of the injured Maximus crew members and ABN Amro skipper Mike Sanderson said his team was "bitterly disappointed" to be returning to Sydney instead of continuing on to Hobart.
"We had a great first night on the water and we had managed to keep right up there," Ian Treleaven said, however, he added that "the most important thing is that all the crew are safe and we have had no injuries".
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Last Updated ( Friday, 29 December 2006 )
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