On the final leg of a yachting race to San Francisco, California from Qingdao, China, skipper Piers Dudin of second place vessel The Hull & Humber was injured, causing The Hull & Humber to break from the race. Dudin’s vessel was 400 miles east of Japan, nearing the final stretch of a 35,000 mile circumnavigational race when the incident occurred.
This journey began in September 2009 from the Humber estuary, and was nearing its close when the skipper broke the shin of his right leg during rough seas. He was swept into the guard rail where the side of his leg was caught, and it is believed the force of the water broke his bone.
After the incident, Piers informed his crew of the injury, and they helped him down below. He gave calm instructions on the steps to follow to take care of the situation. A spokesperson for the race organizers stated that “the crew reacted quickly and after seeking medical advice through Falmouth Coastguard, they applied a leg splint to the injury and administered painkillers.”
In the meantime, the skipper of a fellow racing yacht, the Spirit of Australia, will take over skipper Piers’ position.
The Hull and Humber is en route to Japan to rendezvous with a larger boat with a helicopter on board to airlift Piers to Sendai, a city just north of Tokyo.
On Friday a Japanese coastguard vessel brought a doctor to the yacht, and Mr. Dudin was transferred to the coast guard vessel to meet with the vessel carrying the helicopter.
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