BUDDING Hampshire solo yachtsman Oscar Mead had a baptism of fire in the Original Singlehanded Transatlantic Race after being battered by 35-knot winds on the first night of the race.
The 18-year-old, the youngest competitor ever to enter the 3,000-mile race, was also hit by five-metre seas as he sailed south west from Plymouth bound for Newport, USA.
In a satellite phone call to his father Laurence, Oscar said he had spent most of the night below deck to escape the weather but his yacht King of Shaves had still been soaked.
Before going to press, Oscar was trailing his fellow Southampton Solent University student Katie Miller in the middle of the 36-strong fleet, which set off on Monday.
Meanwhile Katie, 21, the youngest ever female entrant, was battling it out with 26-year-old Lymington yachtswoman Hannah White.
Reini Gelder’s trimaran Light for the World was out in front.
Due to problems with the onboard tracking systems, it was impossible to determine the exact positions of the yachts.
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