British business owner and sailor Sarah Young has died in the Pacific Ocean after she was swept overboard by a wave during the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, organizers say. She was 40 years old and from London.
The incident happened at about 1127 UTC on Friday when the IchorCoal boat (CV21) was approaching the International Date Line during the 6th stage that takes participants across the Pacific Ocean from Qingdao in China to Seattle in the U.S. state of Washington.
Organizers said in a statement that Young was tidying the cockpit of the boat when she was knocked from her position by a wave, causing her to fall back towards the guard wire before a second wave swept her underneath the wire and into the ocean.
“The boat immediately applied its man overboard drill but was hampered by the conditions and lack of direct visual,” organizers said in a statement. “Her body was recovered on board using her AIS signal at 1244 UTC (2344 local), and although resuscitation was attempted … she never regained consciousness.”
While a cause of death has not yet been determined, Young is believed to have died of drowning or exposure. All other crew members on board the vessel have been reported safe and well and the team is considering whether to divert or to continue on to Seattle.
According to organizers, Young was the owner of a personal lifestyle company in London that provides services for private high net worth individuals. The round the world yacht race had been an ambition of hers for some years, and she had celebrated her 40th birthday just before setting sail from London.
Young had sailed more than half the way round the world with 20,000 nautical miles of racing under her belt between London and China, where the yacht left on March 21. She had earlier missed several races in Australia due to the death of her mother.
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