Barcelona World Race

Spirit of Hungary skipper Nandor Fa suffers a head injury whilst up the mast attempting to ease jammed mainsail

Having to stitch up your crewmate’s head wound whilst slamming over rough seas in the Southern Ocean is a nightmare situation that even the most experienced of medics would find challenging.

Yet co-skipper of the Spirit of Hungary Conrad Coleman found himself in that very position during the latest leg of the Barcelona World Race, when fellow crew member Nandor Fa suffered an injury whilst trying to fix an issue with the rig.

He wrote all about the incident in his latest blog entry, whilst on passage between Tasmania and the South Island of New Zealand. It makes for a grim read

Been in the wars a bit have you, mate?” My Mum would say, dabbing ointment onto a newly grazed knee or scuffed elbow. Well, we’ve been in the wars a bit lately too, only we needed a little bit more than ointment to patch us up.

Monday 23rd February: 0600hrs

The saga of the stuck mainsail car continued today, with dire consequences. We had sailed during the night without the head of the main attached to the mast, as the stuck car prevented us from taking a reef if we needed to. Nandor and I devised a plan to dissasemble the car by taking out the locking mechanism and changing the halyard attachment point to make the sail easier to use without the support of the lock. He had seen how much fun I had had the last four times I had climbed the mast so was keen on doing the job himself.

I hoisted him up the mast, having declined my …read more