#ClipperRace - A Clipper Race yacht is diverting to Portugal after the team’s skipper suffered a serious injury to his left hand that required emergency medical attention.

Greetings skipper David Hartshorn got his left thumb caught in a spinnaker sheet while leading a drop of their code 3 heavyweight kite in breezy conditions on Saturday night (26 August), with wind blowing between 18 and 22 knots some 450 nautical miles off the Portuguese coast.

Hartshorn received treatment from team medic Miles Berry, a surgeon doing Legs 1 and 4, who also liaised with the race’s remote medical support physicians PRAXES ahead of the skipper’s helicopter medevac yesterday afternoon (Sunday 27 August).

“An agreed medevac procedure was put into place where David was lifted from the water rather than from on deck and the manoeuvre went really well,” said Clipper Race director Mark Light.

“The Greenings crew have been incredible and have remained composed throughout. They are now motoring directly to Porto under the command of Clipper Race coxswain and round-the-world crew member Jeremy Hilton.”

Deputy race director Daniel Smith is in constant communication with the crew and will receive regular updates.

Tomorrow morning (Tuesday 29 August), Greenings is expected to reach Porto, where the race crew will be met by Clipper Race officials who will advise on the next steps.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Clipper Race fleet has split into two clusters as they pass Portugal en route to South America.

On the westerly course, GREAT Britain, Liverpool 2018 and HotelPlanner.com took the gamble of adding extra miles to their route, but making up for it with more favourable wind conditions.

They’re also gaining significant time on the leaders further east, who have suffered from a wind hole over the weekend.

Indeed, the western option has paid off exceptionally well for HotelPlanner.com, skippered by Derry-Londonderry man Conall Morrison, which leapt to fifth place in the latest standings (as of 8am on Monday 28 August) and is holding sixth overall.

The weather for the week ahead looks more promising for both groups as they converge for the swing past the Azores.