A skipper told yesterday how he and his crew dramatically escaped from their sinking boat during the Taiwan Strait Race, organised by the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club.
Leon Chan and his 10 crew were plucked to safety after floating on two life rafts for about 90 minutes in the early hours of Sunday.
'Everybody was calm,' he said. They all knew what they had to do.'
Chan was speaking to club officials from aboard the Hong Kong cargo ship Easy Success, which was heading for Manila last night after plucking the nine men and two women from danger.
The drama started when their boat, Tipsy Frenz, started taking on water. Chan, also chairman of the race organisers, said: 'The water was coming in really fast.
'As crew safety is paramount and it was clear there was no point in considering the boat any more, the order was given to abandon ship.'
After getting on board two rafts - five members in one and six in the other - a flare was set off. The crew drifted for about 90 minutes before they saw lights from a ship and set off another flare. The ship, Easy Success, wasn't supposed to be in the vicinity but had diverted its course to Manila to avoid a potential typhoon.