John Fisher is presumed lost at sea after going overboard off the coast of Chile

Hopes of finding Fisher were fading last night after he fell overboard west of Chile.

Fisher was taking part in the Volvo Ocean Race and had reached the Southern Ocean just west of Cape Horn on Monday afternoon.

The Brit, who was living in Adelaide, Australia was given little chance of surviving due to the freezing conditions.

And a new statement from the Volvo Ocean Race has declared the 47-year-old lost at sea.

A statement from Richard Brisius, the President of the Volvo Ocean Race read: “This morning I am extremely sad to inform you that one of our sailors, John Fisher, from Team Sun Hung Kai / Scallywag, is now presumed to have been lost at sea.

“This is heart-breaking for all of us. As sailors and race organisers losing a crew member at sea is a tragedy we don’t ever want to contemplate. We are devastated and our thoughts are with John’s family, friends and teammates. </s> A British sailor competing in the Volvo Ocean Race who was swept overboard on Monday has now been declared “lost at sea”.

A British sailor competing in the Volvo Ocean Race who was swept overboard on Monday has now been declared “lost at sea”.

The 47-year-old was swept overboard at around 2pm BST on Monday afternoon, 1,400 nautical miles west of Cape Horn. The wind in the area at the time was a strong 35-knot westerly and the water temperature was 9C. Fisher was on watch and wearing survival gear when he went overboard, race organisers said.

The Scallywag team conducted an “an exhaustive search for several hours in extremely challenging weather conditions” but were unable to recover the yachtsman, according to a statement released by the Volvo Ocean Race on Tuesday morning. Mr Fisher was taking part in his first Volvo Ocean Race, a 45,000 nautical mile race around the world. The teams were on leg seven from Auckland, New Zealand, to Iajai, Brazil, when Mr Fisher went missing.

The rest of Scallywag's crew was unharmed and were helping coordinating a rescue effort with Chilean search and rescue authorities. “This morning I am extremely sad to inform you that one of our sailors, John Fisher, from Team Sun Hung Kai / Scallywag, is now presumed to have been lost at sea,” the statement read. “This is heart-breaking for all of us. As sailors and race organisers losing a crew member at sea is a tragedy we don’t ever want to contemplate. We are devastated and our thoughts are with John’s family, friends and teammates.”

A ship in the area has been diverted towards the site of the incident, but at current speeds it remains over a day away. “With the rest of the Volvo Ocean Race fleet approximately 200 miles downwind, sending them back upwind to assist, against gale to storm force winds, was not a viable option,” the statement continued.

“Given the cold water temperature and the extreme sea state, along with the time that has now passed since he went overboard, we must now presume that John has been lost at sea.

“All of us here at the Volvo Ocean Race organisation send our heartfelt condolences out to John’s family, his friends and his teammates and we will do everything in our power to support them in this very difficult time.”

Scallywag’s 65ft yacht has now resumed sailing in a north-easterly direction and is battling against deteriorating conditions, with “severe” weather forecast for Tuesday. “The crew is, of course, emotionally and physically drained after what they have just experienced,” the statement added. “Our sole focus now is to provide all the support and assistance that we can to the team. We are sure that there will be many questions about how one of our sailors was lost overboard yesterday. We can address those after the team has been fully debriefed. Today, our thoughts and prayers go out to John’s family and the entire Scallywag team.” Mr Fisher is an experienced big boat sailor who is sailing his first Volvo Ocean Race, according to the team's website.

The Race fleet set off from Auckland on March 18 on the toughest stretch of the around-the-world race. The 8,700-mile (14,075 km) leg of the race takes the yachts on a three-week voyage across inhospitable waters from New Zealand to Cape Horn and then up South America's eastern coast to the Brazilian city of Itajai. The 2017-18 Volvo Ocean Race is the longest in the competition's 44-year history, stretching over eight months and 45,000 nautical miles around the globe and ending in The Hague in the Netherlands in late June. </s> British sailor John Fisher has been presumed lost at sea after falling overboard during stormy conditions in the Volvo Ocean Race on Monday.

There had been dwindling hopes of rescuing the 47-year-old after he fell over the side of the Team Sun Hung Kai yacht at around 2pm and roughly 1,400 nautical miles west of Cape Horn.

The chances of finding him have now evaporated, with organisers of the world's most gruelling offshore race declaring Fisher lost in a statement on Tuesday morning.

Volvo Ocean Race president Richard Brisius said: 'John Fisher is now presumed to have been lost at sea.

'This is heart-breaking for all of us. As sailors and race organisers losing a crew member at sea is a tragedy we don't ever want to contemplate. We are devastated and our thoughts are with John's family, friends and teammates.'

The 45,000-nautical mile Volvo Ocean Race is considered the 'Everest of sailing'. Fisher, who is from Southampton but had been living in Australia, disappeared overboard in one of the remotest stretches of ocean in the world on the leg seven race from New Zealand to Brazil.

There was a strong 35-knot wind at the time of the incident and water temperature of 9C, but failing light and the sea state crippled the extensive search effort.

Brisius added: 'Given the cold water temperature and the extreme sea state, along with the time that has now passed since he went overboard, we must now presume that John has been lost at sea.

'All of us here at the Volvo Ocean Race organisation send our heartfelt condolences out to John's family, his friends and his teammates and we will do everything in our power to support them in this very difficult time.' </s> A British yachtsman who fell overboard during an around-the-world race is presumed "lost at sea," according to race organizers.

John Fisher, 47, was competing in the Volvo Ocean Race with the team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag when he fell overboard 1,400 miles west of Cape Horn, Chile, on Monday, according to a statement from Volvo Ocean Race president Richard Brisius.

"This morning I am extremely sad to inform you that one of our sailors, John Fisher, from Team Sun Hung Kai / Scallywag, is now presumed to have been lost at sea," Brisius said in the statement.

The team aboard the 65-foot yacht conducted an "exhaustive" search for several hours, but were unable to find Fisher, according to the statement.

Fisher was competing in the Volvo Ocean Race, a 45,000 nautical mile race around the world, for the first time. The race started in Alicante, Spain, on Oct. 22, and was set to end in Hague, Netherlands, in June.

A ship was diverted to assist Team Sun Hung Kai / Scallywag with the rescue operation, but was more than a day away from the yacht at the time of Brisius' statement.

"This is heart-breaking for all of us," Brisius said. "As sailors and race organizers losing a crew member at sea is a tragedy we don't ever want to contemplate. We are devastated, and our thoughts are with John’s family, friends and teammates." </s> An Adelaide-based sailor who fell overboard during a round-the-world yacht race is now presumed to have been lost at sea.

Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag crew member John Fisher fell overboard about 2,300 kilometres west of Cape Horn, off the coast of Chile, at about 01:00pm UTC.

Mr Fisher's team conducted an extensive search for several hours during stormy conditions, but were unable to recover him.

"Given the cold water temperature and the extreme sea state, along with the time that has now passed since he went overboard, we must now presume that John has been lost at sea," Volvo Ocean Race president Richard Brisius said in a statement.

"As sailors and race organisers, losing a crew member at sea is a tragedy we don't ever want to contemplate.

"We are devastated and our thoughts are with John's family, friends and teammates."

Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag said they did everything they could to recover Mr Fisher, but made the "difficult decision" to head for landfall due to worsening conditions and nightfall approaching.

"Witty and the Scallywag crew have been battling extremely treacherous conditions in the Southern Ocean and this tragedy is heartbreaking," the team's owner said in a statement.

Mr Fisher, a 47-year-old British citizen who lived in Adelaide, was a member of the local Christies Sailing Club, which described Mr Fisher as a "treasured member of our family".

"John came to our club around 10 years ago and immediately injected his passion for the sport of sailing which was picked up by all of our sailing members, especially our juniors," the club said in a statement.

Christies Sailing Club said Mr Fisher had raced in "almost every major regatta around the globe", but that the Volvo Ocean Race was his holy grail.

"He told us that he used to watch the Volvo (Whitbread, as it was formally known) leave Southampton from where he grew up and thought, 'One day I will do that race'." </s> A British sailor competing in the Volvo Ocean Race who fell overboard on Monday has now been declared “lost at sea”.

John Fisher, originally from Southampton but resident in Adelaide in Australia, was one of the crew members on Hong Kong challenger Team Sun Hung Kai / Scallywag.

The 47-year-old went overboard at around 2pm BST on Monday afternoon, 1,400 nautical miles west of Cape Horn in the Southern Ocean. The wind in the area at the time was a strong 35-knot westerly and the water temperature was 9C.

Fisher was on watch and wearing survival gear when he went overboard, race organisers said.

The Scallywag team conducted an “an exhaustive search for several hours in extremely challenging weather conditions” but were unable to recover the yachtsman, according to a statement released by the Volvo Ocean Race on Tuesday morning. </s> A British sailor is missing after being swept overboard at 11pm on Monday during the Volvo Ocean Race.

John Fisher was wearing survival gear when he fell off the Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag vessel west of Cape Horn, near South America, as the yacht raced from New Zealand to Brazil.

The team, with the help of the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, are conducting a search and rescue operation to recover the 47-year-old, according to Volvo Ocean Race.

The wind in the area has been recorded at 35 knots – or 64km/h – and the water is 9C.

'Given the gale force conditions it is not an option to divert any of the other six Volvo Ocean Race competitors, who are at least 200 miles further east and downwind of Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag, to assist in the search operation,' it said in a press release.

'The MRCC has identified a ship approximately 400 nautical miles away and it has been diverted to the scene.'

'Naturally we are deeply concerned, especially given the weather conditions, and Race Control in Alicante is supporting the Scallywag team and MRCC throughout the operation.'

Mr Fisher lives in Adelaide and is a long-time veteran of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race, according to the Volvo Ocean Race's website.

The Volvo Ocean Race is 7,600-mile race from Auckland, New Zealand to Itajaí, Brazil. </s> WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Seven people were killed and another person was missing in a boating accident near Auckland, New Zealand, on Saturday, police said.

Inspector Duncan Hall said the chartered fishing boat Francie was carrying 11 people when it got into trouble in Kaipara Harbour near Auckland. He said rescuers managed to pull three survivors from the water, who were taken to a local hospital.

He said rescuers also recovered five bodies from the water soon after the accident. Another two bodies washed ashore at nearby beaches and were found early Sunday.

Hall said in a statement that the fishing boat was reported as overdue to emergency services at 3:30 p.m. Police were still trying to establish what happened to the boat and how its occupants ended up in the water. Hall said conditions on Saturday were poor, with large sea swells.

An air search for the missing person was suspended overnight and resumed on Sunday in the harbor, which is about 75 kilometers (47 miles) northwest of Auckland.

Eyewitnesses told Television New Zealand that rescuers in helicopters plucked the survivors from the water and placed them on a beach, where locals kept them warm until ambulances arrived.

The TV station reported that the accident happened at the entrance to the harbor, an area which is notorious for producing treacherous conditions for boats.

The Facebook page for Francie Charters says its boat Francie is licensed to carry up to 20 people with two crew members. It shows customers using lines to catch snapper and other fish, and encountering dolphins. </s> next Image 1 of 2

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Seven people were killed and another person was missing after a chartered fishing boat disappeared from view in large waves at the entrance to a harbor near Auckland, New Zealand authorities said.

The boat Francie was carrying 11 people when it got into trouble on Saturday afternoon in Kaipara Harbour. Rescuers managed to pull three survivors from the water, who were taken to a hospital. A search for the missing person was continuing Sunday, said police Inspector Duncan Hall.

Crew members from the boat notified the coast guard that they were attempting to cross a sandbar at the entrance to the harbor at about 2 p.m., said Patrick Holmes, the chief executive of Coastguard New Zealand.

He said the coast guard raised the alarm an hour later after the boat didn't report back and could no longer be reached on its marine radio or by mobile phone.

Other boats in the area reported to the coast guard that they could no longer see the boat, although he wasn't yet clear if it had sunk. An investigation was underway.

Waves at the sandbar were about four meters (13 feet) high at the time of the accident, Holmes said. Sandbars are formed by sand building up on the seafloor, something which can happen at harbor entrances where the ocean meets calmer harbor water.

"All sandbar crossings are dangerous. They shift with storms and tides, so the bars are not in exactly the same position," Holmes said. "Because it's a disturbance of the seafloor, the action of the waves becomes distorted and irregular."

Eyewitnesses told Television New Zealand that rescuers in helicopters plucked the survivors from the water and placed them on a beach, where locals kept them warm until ambulances arrived.

Police said they were still trying to establish what happened to the boat and how its occupants ended up in the harbor, which is about 75 kilometers (47 miles) northwest of Auckland.

Inspector Hall said rescuers recovered five bodies from the water soon after the accident. Another two bodies washed ashore at nearby beaches and were found early Sunday.

The Facebook page for Francie Charters says its boat Francie is licensed to carry up to 20 people with two crew members. It shows customers using fishing rods to catch snapper and other fish, and encountering dolphins.
Chilean search and rescue authorities declare that a crewman who fell overboard from a competitor vessel is lost at sea.