Apparently, a person was killed at the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) sailing regatta at the weekend.
According to several matching media reports, it was one of three French on board the sailing yacht "Agecanonix".
On the night of Saturday, she got into distress during her Atlantic crossing from Gran Canaria to Saint Lucia in the Caribbean near the Portuguese island of Madeira due to stormy weather.
The deceased crew member was hit in the head by the falling sail tree during his night shift, it said.
According to a report by the Italian sailing magazine Giornale della Vela, his two companions were able to prevent the Frenchman from falling into the water.
According to the representation, however, he died as a result of the blow.
Difficult rescue mission
His two companions were then rescued by the cruise ship “Mein Schiff 1” from the tour operator TUI, which was on the return journey from the Caribbean to Bremerhaven with mostly German vacationers.
The cruiser was the only ship in the vicinity to change course and drive to the yacht after it got into distress and sent an emergency signal.
Because of the stormy seas and the high waves, the rescue operation is said to have been "lengthy and complex", reported Giornale della Vela.
According to this report, the cruise ship "Mein Schiff 1" reached the damaged yacht on Saturday.
However, the two living and dead crew members were not recovered until Sunday.
In the semi-professional ARC sailing regatta, which takes place once a year, participants cross the Atlantic from Gran Canaria.
The destination port is in Rodney Bay on the Canary Island of Saint Lucia.
According to Giornale della Vela, the crew of the "Agecanonix" had chosen a course north of the Rhumb Line "to avoid the light winds" that prevailed on the southern route at Cape Green.