British Golden Globe sailor rescued in Southern Ocean

SANTIAGO: British Golden Globe Race sailor Susie Goodall was plucked from a stormy Southern Ocean by a Chinese ship, a day after her yacht was dismasted, said rescuers.

Goodall “was rescued on Friday afternoon and is already on the ship heading to Punta Arenas,” in southern Chile, the country’s Maritime Rescue Services said.

A photo tweeted by rescuers showed Goodall, her head wrapped in a bandana, being winched above the waves and aboard the Hong Kong-flagged vessel Tian Fu.

“Susie is on the ship!!!! Wowowow! Message just received from Susie Goodall,” the Golden Globe Race organisers announced on their website.

“This is fantastic news indeed ... well done Susie too,” they said.

The 44,000-ton Tian Fu was expected to dock in Punta Arenas on Tuesday.

The youngest competitor in the race and the only woman, 29-year-old Goodall was briefly knocked unconscious when mountainous seas upended her yacht DHL Starlight early Thursday, tearing off its mast and trashing much of her equipment.

— AFP Safe and sound: Goodall being rescued by sailors from Hong Kongflagged vessel ‘ Tian Fu’ at Chilean jurisdiction waters in the Southern Ocean.