John Fisher: Volvo Ocean Race yachtsman falls overboard - as organisers say chances of finding him are 'diminishing'

Missing at sea: John Fisher, from Southampton, fell overboard in the Southern Ocean
Volvo Ocean Race

The chances of recovering a British yachtsman who fell overboard during a round-the-world race in the Atlantic Ocean are “diminishing”, organisers said today.

Crewman John Fisher fell from Team Sun Hung Kai’s Scallywag yacht 1,400 nautical miles west of Cape Horn yesterday afternoon.

He was on watch and wearing survival gear when he went overboard, the organisers said.

Volvo Ocean Race organisers said a search was under way for the 47-year-old but acknowledged the severity of the forecast and lack of light meant hopes of a rescue were slim.

They said the Scallywag team aboard the 65ft yacht conducted an exhaustive search for Mr Fisher but were forced to turn downwind and head towards the nearest safe landfall on the South American coast.

“The weather in the area is forecast to deteriorate significantly in the coming hours,” they said in a statement.

“SHK/Scallywag has thus made the difficult decision to turn downwind and head towards the South American coast, the nearest safe landfall, approximately 1,200 nautical miles away.”

The Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag yachting team heading out of Waitemata Harbour at the start of the seventh leg of the Volvo Ocean Race yacht race in Auckland
AFP

The wind in the area at the time was a strong 35-knot westerly and the water temperature was 9C.

The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre requested one ship divert to the scene and is continuing to contact other ships that may be able to assist.

Mr Fisher, originally from Southampton but resident in Adelaide in Australia, was taking part in his first Volvo Ocean Race, a 45,000 nautical mile race around the world.

The teams were on leg seven from Auckland, New Zealand, to Iajai, Brazil, when Mr Fisher went missing.

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