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10 December 2000

TEAM PHILLIPS SUPER YACHT IN MAYDAY DRAMA

Coastguards issued a mayday alert on 10 December 2000 asking ships to assist ocean racer Pete Goss's storm-hit catamaran Team Philips after the revolutionary £4 million craft was damaged in storms while crossing the Atlantic.

The German cargo ship ‘Hoechst Express’ battled through high waves and 50-knot winds to reach the storm-damaged catamaran, which was 750 miles west of Ireland.

Pete Goss's Super Yacht 'Team Phillips'

Team Philips skipper Pete Goss remained in constant contact with the vessel's captain as she approached.

Pete Goss agreed to evacuate the hi-tech craft when it was revealed that another powerful storm was heading towards her and could blow her up to 300 miles further away from help.

A Team Philips spokesman said an evacuation could take several hours. He said the transfer had not yet started, and would almost certainly be hampered by high winds and heavy sea conditions. "It's not like jumping on and off a bus."

It has not yet been decided whether to leave the seven-crew members on board the ‘Hoechst Express’, which is en route to Halifax, Nova Scotia, or to try to lift them off the cargo ship. The priority is to get them safely off.

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