Oceanic yacht racing is one of the most dangerous sports in the world. It was particularly dangerous in the early days, when oceanic racing was more like early mountain climbing in terms of sense of adventure and achievement. Modern safety and communication equipment has improved safety; however, like any sport in the natural environment, risk is always present. In many races, participants have changed from amateur explorers to professional athletes.
Deaths during crewed round-the-world races and record attempts Race Name Date Name Place Boat Description Whitbread / Volvo Ocean Race 1973–1974 Paul Waterhouse, Dominique Guillet, Bernie Hosking Southern Ocean Tauranga, 33 Export, Great Britain II (respectively) Each swept overboard(Hosking twice)"Volvo Ocean Race 1973-1974"(Bernie Hosking's name misspelled as "Hocking" in the Leg3 tab; spelled properly in the Leg1 tab.)Race 1 Summary (volvooceanrace.com) Whitbread / Volvo Ocean Race Tony Phillips Southern Ocean Creighton Naturally Swept overboard and recovered too late Volvo Ocean Race Off Land's End ABN Amro Volvo 70 Washed overboard and recovered Clipper Round the World Yacht Race Atlantic Ocean IchorCoal / Clipper 70 Head Injury Boom/Mainsheet Clipper Round the World Yacht Race Pacific Ocean Swept overboard Clipper Round the World Yacht Race Indian Ocean Great Britain / Clipper 70 Volvo Ocean Race Southern Ocean Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag Volvo Ocean 65
Deaths during solo round-the-world races and record attempts Race Name Date Name Place Boat Description Sunday Times Golden Globe Race Atlantic Ocean Teignmouth Electron Lost at sea, Possible suicide BOC Challenge Southern Ocean Skoiern IV Lost at sea Vendée Globe Atlantic Ocean Nigel Burgess Yachts Coyote Lost at sea prior to departure Southern Ocean Groupe LG 2 Lost at sea
Deaths during offshore races Race Name Host Club Date Name Place Boat Description Ref. 1976 OSTAR Mike Flanagan (USA) Atlantic Ocean Galloping Gael 38 ft Monohull; Sailor and Boat Lost at Sea Mike McMullen (GBR) Three Cheers Sailor and Boat Lost at Sea 1978 Route du Rhum Alain Colas Azores Manureva Unknown 1979 Fastnet race 15 competitors and 6 observers Celtic Sea 1998 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race Phillip Charles Skeggs Business Post Naiad drowned Bruce Raymond Guyheart attack Sword of Orion John Dean, James Lawler, Michael Bannister Winston Churchill all drowned Doublehanded Farallones Race , 51 White Lightning, J/29 Transat Jacques Vabre , 42 ORMA 60 Boat Capsized Paul was ondeck and lost other crew member was below deck Doublehanded Lightship Race , 68, 72 Daisy, Cheoy Lee Offshore 31 Cowes-Cherbourg Race , 46 Lion, Reflex 38 Chicago-Mackinac Race , 51, 41 WingNuts, Kiwi 35 head injuries during capsize Farallones Race Low Speed Chase, Sydney 38 Capsize killed 5 from crew of 8, near a rocky coast. Newport (Calif.) to Ensenada (Mexico) yacht race , 49 , 53, 57, 64 Aegean, Hunter 376 nighttime crash into a rocky island Islands Race Newport Harbor and , 36 Uncontrollable Urge, Columbia 32 Carbon Chicago-Mackinac Race , 53Imedi, TP52overboard resulting from wave strike 2024 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race Roy Quaden (AUS), 55 Flying Fish Arctos hit by boom Nick Smith (AUS), 65 Bowline hit by mainsheet
Deaths during yacht races Race Name Host Club Date Name Place Boat Description Ref. Big Boat Series St. Francis Yacht Club , 42 San Francisco Twin Flyer, 38 foot sloop Commodore Perry Race North Cape Yacht Club , 71 Lake Erie J/29 Boom head injury America's Cup Testing Golden Gate Yacht Club San Francisco Artemis Racing, AC72, Boat 1 Entrapped after the boat broke apart and capsized. Antigua Superyacht , 38 Antigua 102 ft S/Y Farfalla Training incident with rigging failure causing a head Injury
References