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Sailor dies in VOR #75350
05/18/06 09:30 AM
05/18/06 09:30 AM

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Re: Sailor dies in VOR [Re: ] #75351
05/18/06 09:32 AM
05/18/06 09:32 AM
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Crew member killed in Volvo race
Hans Horrevoets
Hans Horrevoets was the oldest member of ABN Amro Two crew
A competitor in the Volvo Ocean Race has died after being swept overboard.

Dutchman Hans Horrevoets, 32, fell from ABN Amro Two on Thursday morning and failed to regain consciousness after being lifted back on the boat.

ABN Amro Two was sailing in five-metre seas and 30 knot winds about 1,300 miles from Land's End in Cornwall.

Crew members tried to resuscitate Horrevoets with advice from medical advisors from Derriford Hospital in Plymouth but could not revive him.

Skipper Sebastien Josse said: "We are all devastated by the events that took place this morning and all our thoughts are for Hans's family.

"I would like to stress that throughout the whole man overboard procedure, the crew handled themselves calmly, professionally and with the utmost maturity. It is with deep regret that we were unable to resuscitate Hans."

According to the Volvo Ocean Race website, Horrevoets was the oldest member of the ABN Amro Two crew and the only one who was married with a child, an infant daughter.

Horrevoets had been a professional sailor for more than a decade.

He was a trimmer and sailmaker aboard BrunelSunergy in the 1997-98 Whitbread Around the World Race, as the Volvo Ocean Race was then known.

ABN Amro Two
ABN Amro Two set out from New York on 11 May
He was a late addition to the sailing crew of ABN Amro Two but had earlier worked with the Dutch team to select promising young sailors.

Horrevoets was washed overboard at 0211 GMT on Thursday.

The other nine members of ABN Amro Two turned the boat around, took the sails down and mounted a search and rescue effort.

But despite getting him back on board, they could not save him.

According to Volvo Ocean Race chief executive Glenn Bourke, Horrevoets spent 40 minutes in the water before being pulled back on board.

ABN Amro Two, one of seven boats in the race, started out with its rivals from New York on 11 May and is due to arrive in Portsmouth in the next few days.

The boat had been in fifth place at the time of the accident but is considering pulling out of the leg - the seventh - due to the death of Horrevoets.

The Volvo Ocean Race, which lasts seven months and covers 36,000 miles, is due to finish in Gothenburg, Sweden, in mid-June after starting off Vigo, Spain, in November.

The boats passed through some of the world's most treacherous waters, including the Southern Ocean.

Re: Sailor dies in VOR [Re: ] #75352
05/18/06 09:45 AM
05/18/06 09:45 AM

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Hans Horrevoets, a crew member aboard ABN AMRO TWO, one of the two ABN AMRO yachts competing in the Volvo Ocean Race 2005 – 2006, died earlier this morning after being swept overboard from the boat.



ABN AMRO TWO was sailing downwind in 25 – 30 knots of wind under main, fractional spinnaker and staysail. Seb Josse, Skipper of ABN AMRO TWO was at the helm, Hans, 32 of the Netherlands was trimming the spinnaker sheet, Nick Bice, Andrew Lewis and Lucas Brun were also on deck. The boat nosedived down a wave and water came washing back down the deck, when the water cleared Hans was no longer on deck.



ABN AMRO TWO Navigator Simon Fisher explained the incident, “Immediately Seb hailed a ‘man overboard’ and we initiated man overboard procedures and put in place the GPS positioning. The boat immediately turned around and began to search for him, meanwhile raising the alarm on shore. After Hans was found he was lifted back on board and the Accident and Emergency(A&E) department at Derriford Hospital, Plymouth, UK was notified that we had a major medical emergency and to stand by. Unfortunaly our attempts to resuscitate him were not successful."



ABN AMRO TWO Skipper Sebastien Josse said, “We are all devastated by the events that took place this morning and all our thoughts are for Hans’ family. Throughout the whole MOB (man overboard) procedure the whole crew handled themselves calmly, professionally and with the utmost maturity. It is with deep regret that we were unable to resuscitate Hans.”



Jan Berent Heukensfeldt Jansen, Managing Director of TEAM ABN AMRO said, “We are all shocked and devastated by this terrible news and our thoughts now are very much with Hans’ family. We are all aware of the risks that sailors face but nothing can prepare you for this kind of tragedy. My thoughts are also with the crew who I understand behaved in the most professional manner and reacted immediately and I wish them a safe passage home.”



Glenn Bourke, Chief Executive Volvo Ocean Race said, “All of us at the Volvo Ocean Race are deeply saddened to learn of the loss of ABN AMRO TWO crew member Hans Horrevoets. At this time our thoughts are with Hans’ family and friends, his fellow crew members and all the members of TEAM ABN AMRO. Ocean racing carries inherent risks and we do our utmost to minimize those risks with the mandatory safety equipment we have on board. However, when an accident like this occurs it is a shock to everyone associated with the race. The Volvo Ocean Race family is a close-knit community and we will all lend whatever support is needed at this tragic time.”



The crew are no longer in racing mode but are making their way to Portsmouth as quickly as possible and will make a decision on further participation in the race during the Portsmouth stopover.



If you use this photo or content please add the TEAM URL: www.abnamro.com/team

Re: Sailor dies in VOR [Re: ] #75353
05/18/06 09:58 AM
05/18/06 09:58 AM
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Not that anybody probably knows the answer to this, but aren't these guys tethered to jack lines? <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

Re: Sailor dies in VOR [Re: Mary] #75354
05/18/06 10:49 AM
05/18/06 10:49 AM
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They just say that "when the water cleared Hans was no longer on deck". Maybe no one knows if he was or wasn't tethered. Also, there is no mention to what clothes and safety devices he was wearing.


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Re: Sailor dies in VOR [Re: Mary] #75355
05/18/06 01:44 PM
05/18/06 01:44 PM
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The Netherlands
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Not that anybody probably knows the answer to this, but aren't these guys tethered to jack lines? <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

he might have been, I've heard stories of lines/clamps/cleats being snaped if the ware made out of sugar.

Maybe he hit something as well being washed off, quite some people are being smashed againgst stuff on the boat in high seas [daggerboards-up?]

It's terrible....

Re: Sailor dies in VOR [Re: Kennethsf] #75356
05/18/06 01:54 PM
05/18/06 01:54 PM
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Teathers do sometimes break.

Very sad news.

The fact they found him at all is saying something in those conditions.

It's not going to be such a happy arrival when they get to the UK.

<img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />


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Re: Sailor dies in VOR [Re: scooby_simon] #75357
05/18/06 02:24 PM
05/18/06 02:24 PM
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Annapolis, MD
Mark Schneider Offline
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Quote
The boat was covering nearly a half a nautical mile per second at those speeds, leaving Horrevoet almost 10 miles behind by the time the crew took the sails down, the engine turned on and turned around to find him.

"The crew deployed three man overboard devices," Hindley said. "They spotted him after 40 minutes."


New York Times article quote

WOW.... It is amazaing that they found him in those conditions. What a tragedy.


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Re: Sailor dies in VOR [Re: Mark Schneider] #75358
05/18/06 03:28 PM
05/18/06 03:28 PM
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Quote
The boat was covering nearly a half a nautical mile per second at those speeds, leaving Horrevoet almost 10 miles behind by the time the crew took the sails down, the engine turned on and turned around to find him.

"The crew deployed three man overboard devices," Hindley said. "They spotted him after 40 minutes."


New York Times article quote

WOW.... It is amazaing that they found him in those conditions. What a tragedy.


Knowing that 1 mile per minute is 60 mph - .5 mile a second? They need some proof reading. If you make it .5/minute (30 mph), then the claim is it took them 20 minutes to turn around if the 10 mile distance is correct. Still doesn't seem right, I can't believe they put 10 miles on him before being able to turn back, even given the speed of the boats and the time to drop the sails. Either way, most accounts said they got him back on board around 40-45 minutes.

What a tragedy, especially for the wife and daughter.

Last edited by Keith; 05/18/06 03:31 PM.
Re: Sailor dies in VOR [Re: brobru] #75359
05/19/06 06:35 AM
05/19/06 06:35 AM
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What a sad article to read. It is amazing that they were able to find him in 16' seas. One thing that I didn't like about the article is that twice they mentioned that he was the "oldest" member of the crew, as though that contributed to his demise. 32 years old in very young in my book! I wonder what the average age is for all the crews doing this race.
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Re: Sailor dies in VOR [Re: jmhoying] #75360
05/19/06 08:16 AM
05/19/06 08:16 AM
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Not to sound really morbid about this tragedy, but what did they do with the sailor? Was it a burial at sea, or are they transporting him home on another boat?

If your family member were killed at sea, would you want that person's body returned to you?

And this may be too soon to be talking about this. No disrespect is intended.

Re: Sailor dies in VOR [Re: Keith] #75361
05/19/06 08:23 AM
05/19/06 08:23 AM
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(By the way, proofreaders check copy. Fact checkers check facts.)

It takes twenty to thirty minutes to take down what they had up and they dropped sail in a confused sea with 4m wave heights on a black night. So, yes, they were ten miles away by the time they could turn back into a 20-30 kt. wind and all that water to find a drifting flyspeck on the horizon. They backtracked with the computer but imagine what it must have been like out there.

Also, these sailors are usually not tethered. They view the hazard of not clipping as part of the job. They find it too restrictive while working on deck. I'll bet it is. If you clipped, you'd be clipping every time you turned around.

Hans was 32 and he was the man who put the crew of twenty-somethings together to make this race. So, when "the kids" set a monohull record not long into the race it was absolutely amazing. So, the loss was not only of a crewmember but the crewmember that was the reason they were all there and he was the mentor for everyone on board. By all reports the young crew performed an incredibly difficult recovery in big seas in the dark which was something worthy of the most seasoned offshore sailors. This is their first trip around. These kids are good. Hans must have been some teacher. He is survived by his partner Petra, their daughter Bobbi, and the Petra's baby bump.

That's hard.

Re: Sailor dies in VOR [Re: Dean] #75362
05/19/06 09:55 AM
05/19/06 09:55 AM
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DAMN! talk about a terrible loss at sea. On a lighter note, atleast he died doing what he must have loved the most, SAILING. Still a terrible loss anyway.

As far as finding the body, hats off to them. It is extremely hard to find anyone in the dark night, specially in any chop.

This incredible seriously.

Re: Sailor dies in VOR [Re: jmhoying] #75363
05/19/06 10:54 AM
05/19/06 10:54 AM
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I wonder what the average age is for all the crews doing this race.


Torben Grael is 47 and his crew is (a lot) younger. Part of the crew of ABN2 consists of young amateurs recruited around the world. They are likely to have the younger crew in average.


Luiz
Re: Sailor dies in VOR [Re: Luiz] #75364
05/19/06 12:41 PM
05/19/06 12:41 PM
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They are making their way to Portsmouth.

People want to bury their dead. It's almost universal human nature and even true of elephants. To have to transport a sailor's body to the nearest port after such a sudden loss only continues the tragedy for the crew. They will, no doubt, receive a collective seamanship award for this leg.

Re: Sailor dies in VOR [Re: Dean] #75365
05/19/06 01:11 PM
05/19/06 01:11 PM
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Quote
(By the way, proofreaders check copy. Fact checkers check facts.)


Whatever, anybody reading it should have caught that one. I think you can make a case for that being either.

Quote
It takes twenty to thirty minutes to take down what they had up and they dropped sail in a confused sea with 4m wave heights on a black night. So, yes, they were ten miles away by the time they could turn back into a 20-30 kt. wind and all that water to find a drifting flyspeck on the horizon. They backtracked with the computer but imagine what it must have been like out there.


See quote below from the skipper. It may have taken 20-30 minutes to get the sails down, but they would not continue sailing downwind at full speed while doing that. They would have rounded up and dropped remaining sails once the fractional spin was controlled. They might have even rounded and flogged that sail given the circumstances. It may have taken 20 minutes to get the sails down, but I don't they put full speed distance on the man in the meantime.

Quote
Also, these sailors are usually not tethered. They view the hazard of not clipping as part of the job. They find it too restrictive while working on deck. I'll bet it is. If you clipped, you'd be clipping every time you turned around.


Whether or not they clip in is up to debate, however it does seem to be more a badge of honor amongst some sailors to not clip in. There may specific conditions under which the team mandates it. However, harnesses are usually long enough with bungee built in to give range of movement, also you typically clip on to a jack line, and the tether can move between the points the jack line is attached to the deck. Even if you tethered in to a hard point, you would not need to reclip everytime you turned around, most likely only if you moved from one station to another. Still, some might see it as an inconvenience. I'm sure it is to a degree. And, if you have become comfortable with the boat in the certain conditions you might become complacent in the need to do so.

Quote
Hans was 32 and he was the man who put the crew of twenty-somethings together to make this race. So, when "the kids" set a monohull record not long into the race it was absolutely amazing. So, the loss was not only of a crewmember but the crewmember that was the reason they were all there and he was the mentor for everyone on board. By all reports the young crew performed an incredibly difficult recovery in big seas in the dark which was something worthy of the most seasoned offshore sailors. This is their first trip around. These kids are good. Hans must have been some teacher. He is survived by his partner Petra, their daughter Bobbi, and the Petra's baby bump.

That's hard.



ABN AMRO TWO Navigator Simon Fisher explained the incident, “Immediately Seb hailed a ‘man overboard’ and we initiated man overboard procedures and put in place the GPS positioning. The boat immediately turned around and began to search for him, meanwhile raising the alarm on shore. After Hans was found he was lifted back on board and the Accident and Emergency(A&E) department at Derriford Hospital, Plymouth, UK was notified that we had a major medical emergency and to stand by. Unfortunaly our attempts to resuscitate him were not successful."

Whatever the exact true details, this is such a loss. The crew did their job admirably in the recovery, and the events must weigh heavy on them every waking minute. Sincerest heart-felt sympathies to the family and crew.

Re: Sailor dies in VOR [Re: Keith] #75366
05/19/06 01:33 PM
05/19/06 01:33 PM
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Yesterday, there was a earlier recorded interview with Hans Horrevoets on Dutch tele. The interview was made, I think, during the stopover in Capetown.
He was asked about the risks and told the reporter that the main focus was on staying on the boat. He admitted not to wear a lifejacket all the time.
He also mentioned that during evening and night, being tethered/clipped was obligatory on ABN/AMRO-2. They also were tethered during the day in rough sea. Because of this urge to stay on board (see above), the decision to clip during daytime normally was made in an early stage.

Last edited by Boomer; 05/19/06 01:35 PM.
Re: Sailor dies in VOR [Re: Keith] #75367
05/19/06 06:11 PM
05/19/06 06:11 PM
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Good points in a good post. Thanks.

Re: Sailor dies in VOR [Re: waterbug_wpb] #75368
05/20/06 04:14 AM
05/20/06 04:14 AM
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Re: Sailor dies in VOR [Re: Tornado_ALIVE] #75369
05/20/06 04:27 AM
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