Battered round-the-world yacht limps into California port

After the coastguard plucked Hitchens and Brbora from the yacht on Sunday, the
remaining 11 sailors, including several British crew members, decided to
finish the race’s longest leg.

The 68-foot yacht pulled into the Port of Oakland early Tuesday morning,
becoming the last of 10 boats to finish the 5,680-mile trek across the
Pacific Ocean.

The next leg of the race begins on April 14 when crews set sail for Panama and
then New York. It is unclear if the injured crew members will take part.

Crossing the North Atlantic is typically the hardest leg of the race, and
ocean rescues are not common, said Taylor.

Two other crew members suffered minor injuries but improved enough to stay on
board for the remainder of the journey, race spokeswoman Dee-Dee Taft said.
Max Wilson, 62, a farmer from Queensland, Australia, also may have suffered
broken ribs, and Mark Burkes, 47, the helmsman at the time, sustained a back
injury.

Despite the damage, the crew plans to fix the yacht and complete the final two
legs of the race, which will finish on July 22 where it began in Southampton
after nearly one year at sea.

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