Drama at sea rings echoes of the Challenge Transat
21 Apr 2003 19:30 GMT

On the third day of the Round Britain Challenge’s hard and fast racing, skipper, Mark Taylor’s heart must have missed a beat when Team Spirit received a mayday distress call after an EPIRB was fired, resonating memories of an incident in the Challenge Transat.

Mark Taylor was skippering Team Spirit during last year’s Challenge Transat when one of his crew’s EPIRB’s accidentally went off. Each crew member carries an EPIRB in their lifejackets, which is a safety device used in cases such as man overboard and abandoning ship. Once fired the EPIRB, via a satellite positioning service, will alert the Coastguard. In turn the Coastguard will then notify all vessels in the area to the point where the EPIRB was set off and, if necessary, they will divert to assist.

With an EPIRB being fired in the vicinity of the race there is obvious concern for fellow skippers, mates and crew of the other yachts.

“An EPIRB went off to the west of us,” explains Mark via satellite phone today. “We were worried that it could have been one of the other boats but we now know from our yacht calls this morning that it wasn’t.

“As soon as we received the distress I immediately phoned the coastguard and prepared to assist if necessary but I was told that the EPIRB had been set off some 80 miles away and we were too far east to help. It’s probably a fishing boat which may have got into difficulty.”

So, with all the yachts safe and racing the battle continues throughout the fleet. The 8 o’clock polling shows that BG Group still has the lead with LogicaCMG in second being chased hard on the heels by a relentless Spirit of Southampton. Next comes the Daily Telegraph almost neck and neck with Basilica. Behind them is Vail Williams, followed by Team Spirit and Spirit of Hong Kong chasing hard in last place.

The first important milestone of Waypoint Alpha should be reached some time tonight as the fleet continue their course across the west coast of Ireland heading North.

Editorial Team - www.roundbritainchallenge.com