Yesterday was a bad day for yachtsmen in Whitemouth Harbour, near Auckland, as three boats were affected. One had a fire, one ran aground and one was left without a mast.
The first accident occurred near the island of Ouaheke, when a 45-foot yacht caught fire. The two passengers were able to leave the vessel and board the boat, from which they were picked up by the rescuers. The rescued men were taken to hospital. They suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning.
A second vessel ran aground near Milford Bay. It is reported that the yacht touched the ground at noon, and the rescue crew had to wait for the tide to bring the vessel off the shoal. One of the reasons for the accident is inexperience of the captain, who was alone on board and could not correctly bring the yacht to the pier. No significant damage was done to the vessel.
Team Vodafone participated in another accident near Australian shores. Her mast was apparently blown off. As a result of the accident one person was injured, he injured his pelvis and a rib. Unfortunately, the media did not disclose any details of the incident: neither the circumstances of the case nor the current condition of the injured person are known.
