Sailor who fell overboard says he's lucky to be alive

SAN FRANCISCO – The British sailor who fell overboard and spent a harrowing one hour and 40 minutes in the churning North Pacific praised his fellow sailors and said he was fortunate to be alive.

"I'm under no illusions that I'm a pretty lucky boy to be here and I'm very, very glad to be in San Francisco," said Andrew Taylor shortly after his Derry-Londonderry yacht competing in a round the world race docked at the city's Pier 40 on Friday afternoon. "I need to say thank you to a lot of these guys behind me for the work they put in for the search and rescue operation."

After a brief statement to reporters, Taylor, 46, was whisked off in a stretcher for further medical examination.

On March 31, Taylor was swept off the 70-foot yacht by high winds while trying to change a sail during the Clipper 2013-14 Round the World Yacht Race.

He crashed into the rudder, injuring his leg, and then was carried away by large waves and fierce winds as the boat crew scrambled to rescue him.

The incident occurred on the seventh leg of the 16-stage race from Qingdao, China, to San Francisco.

During the rescue, the crew lost sight of Taylor, who was wearing a life vest and dry suit, which helped him survive the 56-degree water temperature. They eventually located him and brought him back on board.

Taylor, a catering manager from London, suffered from shock and hypothermia.

The boat's skipper, Sean McCarter, saw the whole incident unfold.

"I was up working with him on the foredeck and I kind of watched it in slow motion, him going overboard," McCarter said. "It's your worst nightmare."

Taylor said he kept calm in the water by focusing on the tasks he needed to perform to stay alive. He admitted that when the storm hit he was beat up badly and didn't know if he would make it.

"There were a few moments where I did wonder," he said.

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first person to circumnavigate the globe solo without stopping, founded the 12-boat Clipper Race.

Except for professional skippers, the race is comprised of amateurs who pay their way to sail all or some legs. They undergo rigorous training.

Standing on the landing dock Friday, a relieved Knox-Johnson recalled his reaction when he learned Taylor fell overboard.

"I got the message before he'd been recovered so it was one of horror," said Knox-Johnson.

Doctors will check to see the extent of Taylor's leg injury, which might be broken. He vowed to keep on racing despite some hard-earned lessons.

"There are some key points we can learn from this," said Taylor, who declined to elaborate. "It's not a good way to learn, believe me."

"I'm very, very glad to be here and I'm looking forward to spending a few days in San Francisco and getting back on the boat and finishing the race as soon as I possibly can," he added.

The race resumes April 19.