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Heartbreak for Swilly yachtsman
18.01.10
A LOUGH Swilly Yacht
Club member was among those rescued when their boat
hit a reef during a round-the-world yacht race.
Richie Fearon, 28, rear commodore with the Fahan
sailing club, was skippering the Irish entry 'Cork'
in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race when the
incident happened.
All 16 crew members had to abandon the 'Cork' after
it ran aground on Wednesday in the Java Sea off
Indonesia. They were all rescued and taken to
safety.
It is understood, 'Cork' hit a submerged reef while
racing in 20 knot winds from Geraldton in Western
Australia to Singapore.
The crew, including around eight Irish, five
Britons, two Australians and one Chinese, then used
their life rafts to reach two other Clipper race
participants, 'California' and 'Team Finland' who
were lying off shore. |
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Richie Fearon from
Derry was joined in the race by crew members Gavin
Kelly from Limerick, Marco Giana from Cork, Kevin
Austen from Dublin, Orla Mellet from London, Noreen
Osborne from Belfast, Sarah Boyle from Cork and
Jacqui Browne from Kerry.
Irish-born crewman, Sean Coote, who lives in Sunbury
on Thames near London, said they were saddened to
have had to abandon the yacht but were relieved
nobody suffered any major injuries during the
incident.
Richie Fearon, a property company project manager,
described his delight when he was selected to
skipper 'Cork'. |
“It’s a dream come
true. It’s the boat I really wanted and I can’t wait
to meet my crew, get going and get out there to
showcase the Cork region and Ireland around the
world," he told the Clipper website.
“It goes without saying that arriving in Cork at the
end of that last Atlantic crossing will be the
highlight of the race,” added Richie, who has been
sailing since childhood. |
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