Ocean Race reports
Charlie Enright and the 11th Hour Racing team hit an object suspected to be a marine mammal or megafauna while racing to Aarhus, Denmark, durng Leg 5 early Thursday morning, according to Ocean Race and 11th Hour Racing reports. The team activated its Hazard Button to alert race control and the wider fleet that they had hit something.
Two sailors were injured during the impact, said the report. The impact was sudden and the crew were thrown forward. Trimmer Charlie Dalin has a suspected mild concussion and media crewman Amory Ross injured his shoulder. Enright, navigator Simon Fisher and trimmer Justine Mettraux were shaken, but uninjured by the crash.
The 11th Hour Racing team who was leading the fleet by almost 30 naughtical miles, slowed the vessel to check for damage. Finding none, the crew continued the race towards Aarhus, but have been overtaken by now leader, Holcim-PRB , at 1:46 p.m. Eastern Time.
The 11th Hour Racing team has also reported the incident and suspected strike to the International Whaling Commission.
After the impact, they called the Ocean Race on-call doctor by satellite phone. He has prescribed painkillers, bunk rest, and plenty of water to hydrate, and is monitoring the situation closely. The two injured sailors are reported to be comfortable, and their next of kin have been informed.
Enright and the crew were in the mid-North Atlantic Ocean at 52°N, 35°W – approximately 750 nautical miles off the coast of Newfoundland, sailing at 29 knots (33mph) in over 28 knots of wind speed which has been some of the fastest conditions seen in the race.