Rescue effort underway for sailboats in distress in mid-Atlantic race
HALIFAX — The Canadian Coast Guard has dispatched two ships to the mid Atlantic to assist three sailboats that were battered — and in one case demasted — by a powerful storm during an across-the-ocean race.
A spokesman for the Halifax-based joint rescue co-ordination centre said Friday evening that two of the disabled, mono-hull vessels had one crew member on board, while a third had two crew.
Lt. Len Hickey said the vessels racing between Plymouth, England, and Newport, R.I., encountered very heavy weather late Thursday about 1,660 kilometres east of Newfoundland.
Hickey said conditions in the area remained difficult on Friday evening with 10 to 15 metre seas and winds gusting from 90 to over 100 kilometres per hour.