Fatality at Cowes Week 2018

Isle of Wight, UK (August 10, 2018) – A man in his 60s passed away today while competing in the 24-foot RS Elite keelboat class at 2018 Cowes Week, being held August 4-11 on the Solent.

The RNLI said the man fell overboard during rough sea conditions and was thought to have been dragged through the water by his boat’s mainsheet. He was recovered by an event safety boat and transferred to shore where an ambulance took him to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Eighteen teams were set to compete today, though only four finished as three boats did not start and 11 boats retired from the race. The name of the deceased has not been released.

Since 1826, Cowes Week has played a key part in the British sporting summer calendar and is one of the UK’s longest running and most successful sporting events. It now stages up to 40 daily races for around 1,000 boats and is the largest sailing regatta of its kind in the world.

Event details: http://www.lendycowesweek.co.uk