Welcome to Yorkshire takes a battering

As the boats head round the bottom of South Island and up the eastern coast of New Zealand, they have been experiencing winds in excess of 52mph and a succession of huge waves creating 40-foot ‘cliffs’ of water to sail over and walls of spray. The night time brought the strongest winds and biggest waves hitting the yacht with great force and requiring the best helms to take the boat through the storm.

One particular wave which was around 20ft hit Welcome to Yorkshire, sending a blanket of water over the crew on deck and put their safety lines to the test. The crew below deck were tossed around with cutlery, crockery and food flying off their storage shelves, crew being hurled out of their bunks or thrown around the interior of the boat. Several crew members sustained injuries ranging from sprained muscles, cuts to the head, burns, bruising and shock. A few of the crew have been temporarily removed from the yachts watch system, however due to the efforts of the onboard medical officer, Steve Reid (a paramedic in his day job); all crew members are recovering well and will be resuming their duties soon!

(Posted by Eleanor Prior)