KEY POINTS:
Auckland yachtsman Tony Mutter has been evacuated from Volvo round-the-world yacht race competitor Ericsson 4 with an infected left knee.
Mutter, 39, was transferred onto a fishing boat from Mindelo, Sao Vicente, in the Cape Verde Islands and taken to a hospital in Mindelo, 500km from the west coast of Africa, the Telegraph newspaper reported in London..
Once doctors are happy with his condition, Mutter will join his wife and son in Cape Town, South Africa, to await the arrival of the yacht.
The yacht's medic, Phil Jameson, gave the New Zealander an anaesthetic and drained the infection, then cut into the infected area with a scalpel.
"After that we bandaged him up and sent him to his bunk," Jameson said.
The difficult decision to transfer Mutter was made by Ericsson 4 skipper Torben Grael.
"The race doctor told us that Tony had to be evacuated because the leg had become significantly more swollen over night, and the uncertainty of how quick his condition will improve," said Grael.
"Both he and I agreed that it would be a prudent and precautionary measure to evacuate him from the boat. He needs to get proper treatment. In addition once we have passed the Cape Verde Islands, we have a period of some 1300 nautical miles of open ocean ahead of us."
Had the infection flared in the Southern Ocean, crew would have had to give Mutter intravenous fluids with antibiotics, Grael said.
Mutter said he was very disappointed.
"It's a tough call, but given the state of the infection an easy call," said Mutter.
"Bearing in mind that the conditions in which we live onboard are not ideal for dealing with infections, and add to this the increasingly hot and humid conditions as we reach the Equator and the Doldrums, this is for sure the best course of action.
"My priority is to get back to 150 per cent fitness and rejoin Ericsson 4 in Cape Town," Mutter said.
The transfer happened just west of Sao Vicente. Ericsson 4 did not suspend racing, nor did it receive a replacement for Mutter, whose job is to trim sails and helm the yacht. It will complete the leg with nine active crewmen that now are heading toward the scoring gate outside Cape Town.
- NZPA
