A British yachtswoman has died during the Clipper around the world race after being swept overboard by a wave in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
Sarah Young, 40, had been tidying the yacht's cockpit during gale-force winds at the back of the boat when she was hit by the wave.
After being knocked back against the guard rail by one wave, she was swept under it by another wave, according to the IchorCoal boat's skipper Darren Ladd.
She had not been tethered to the boat at the time and was swept away in the winds reaching speeds of 40 knots.
Due to the extreme weather conditions, it took the crew over an hour to locate and retrieve her body.
Despite attempts to resuscitate her, she never regained consciousness.
While the exact cause of her death is unknown, she is thought to have drowned or died from exposure, Afloat.ie reports.
Competing in the Clipper Race had been a lifelong dream of Ms Young, who ran a London-based personal lifestyle company for high net-worth individuals.
Clipper Race founder Sir Robin Knox-Johnston said in a statement: "On behalf of everyone at Clipper Ventures, I am deeply saddened by the loss of Sarah.
"She was a very popular and integral member of the Clipper Race family and knew our boats well, having sailed with us since London last summer.
"The safety of our crew has always been and continues to be our main priority and we shall investigate the incident immediately in full cooperation with the authorities."
This race has been running for nearly 20 years and this is the second fatality in its history.
