Volvo Ocean Race: Mark Towill speaks: What really happened in the collision

The Vestas 11th Hours Racing team has for the first time commented extensively on the tragic collision between its own racing yacht and a Chinese fishing boat not involved in the race in the early morning of 20 January off Hong Kong. In an interview published by the team itself with Mark Towill, the skipper responsible at the time, the American, who has since spent some time at home with his family and friends, talks about the events of that dramatic night and the difficulties of the rescue operation. The team has since reunited in Auckland. The team was also informed that the investigations by the Hong Kong-based and Chinese authorities would be closed very soon and that the team would not face any sanctions. Mark Towill has therefore now been able to give an in-depth interview for the first time. YACHT online has translated this interview with Mark Towill in full.

What happened as you approached the finish line of the fourth stage?

We were about 30 nautical miles from the finish line. I was in the navigation station watching the radar and AIS (Automatic Identification System, ed.) and communicating with the crew on deck via intercom. I saw three ships on the AIS: a cable ship that we had just passed, a boat further ahead that pushed across the course in front of our bow and moved away. And a third vessel that was identified as a fishing boat. There were a number of other boats to be seen on the AIS, including many fishing boats. But these three were the only ones we could identify in our vicinity.

What were the conditions like? What could you see?

It was a dark cloudy night with winds around 20 knots and moderate seas. As we approached the identified fishing boat, the onboard crew confirmed visual contact. The fishing boat was well lit and we moved to starboard bow to keep clear. I kept looking at the AIS and communicated the distance and bearing to the crew. The crew confirmed that we would pass the fishing boat when - before the expected crossing - a collision occurred.

What happened immediately after the collision?

So much happened so quickly. The force of the collision threw us into a turn that we weren't prepared for. Everyone who was awake came on deck. Everyone on board was fine when we counted through. We checked the bow, saw the hole on the port side and went below deck to investigate the damage. We had water ingress through the hole and concerns about the condition of the bow section structure.

How did you get the water ingress under control?

We heeled the boat to starboard to get the port side out of the water. The sail stack was already on starboard and the starboard ballast tank was full. We also kept the tilt keel to starboard. We put our emergency pump in the bow to pump out the water. This enabled us to minimise the collapse. The boat was difficult to manoeuvre because it heeled so much.

What measures did you take immediately after the boat was under control?

It took us about 20 minutes to get the boat under control. Then we returned to the scene of the accident. When we got there, several people on a nearby fishing boat were pointing torches at a spot in the water. Our first thought was that they were looking for someone. So we immediately launched a search and rescue operation. After some time, we finally spotted a person in the water.

Who have you been in contact with? Has anyone offered support?

We tried to contact the other boat involved in the collision. And we immediately alerted Race Control. When we initiated the search and rescue operation, our navigator immediately sent out a mayday call on channel 16 on behalf of the fishing boat. There were several boats in the area, including a cruise ship with an infirmary. They were all on standby.

Communication was difficult. The sheer volume of radio traffic made it difficult for us to communicate with the people we needed to reach. Also, not many people on the radio spoke English. But we found a way to send our messages with the help of the cable operator. They were also able to send their guard boat to help with the search and rescue operation.

How was the casualty rescued?

Difficult conditions and limited manoeuvrability have hampered our initial attempts to recover the casualty. The cable carrier's guard boat offered its support and all parties involved in the search and rescue operation made every effort. Finally, after several attempts, we succeeded in recovering the casualty. We got him on board and our medics initiated cardiopulmonary resuscitation. We alerted the Marine Rescue Coordination Centre in Hong Kong and informed them that we had a casualty on board. They confirmed that air support was on its way. He was picked up by the helicopter and flown to a hospital in Hong Kong, where the doctors were unable to revive him.

Did any of the participants (ed.: in the Volvo Ocean Race) offer help?

The Dongfeng Race Team offered its support. At the time, we were coordinating the search and rescue operation with several boats, including the cableman with a crew member who spoke Chinese and English and was dependent on our communication. We notified Dongfeng that their assistance was not required because a number of other boats were closer in the area. Team AkzoNobel arrived when the helicopter had already started the recovery. Race Control had asked them to standby, which they did. We later released them when the helicopter mission was completed.

What happened when the search and rescue operation was completed?

As soon as we knew there was nothing more we could do at the scene of the accident, we made sure our boat was still safe and informed the Volvo Ocean Race that we would abandon the leg and head for the coast under power. We reached the technical area near the Race Village and met with the officials and local authorities there to report on what had happened.