A 60-year-old British sailor has died after falling overboard during the Clipper round-the-world yacht race, organisers said. Simon Speirs, a retired solicitor from Bristol, south-west England, was washed over the side of his vessel, which was competing in the Clipper Round the World Race on Saturday. High winds in the Southern Ocean separated Spiers from his yacht, and it took 36 minutes to get him back on board.
"Simon was on the foredeck assisting with a headsail change from Yankee 3 when he was washed overboard," organisers said. "Although he was clipped on with his safety tether, he became separated from the yacht in the Southern Ocean in a rough sea state, in 20 knots of wind, gusting 40.