SEVASTOPOL. June 27 (Interfax) - The crew of the Ukrainian Antika yacht participating in the Crimea Cup 2011 rescued a man who had fallen overboard, Ukrainian Navy spokesman Capt. 1st Class Oleg Chubuk told Interfax.
Antika Captain Andriy Cherniy heard the man shouting five miles away from Yalta on June 26, when the yacht was sailing from Balaklava to Feodosiya.
"We moved farther into the sea about ten kilometers away from Yalta. I was alone on the deck when I heard the cry for help. I thought I was mistaken at first because it was raining hard and winds were blowing. Then I saw a waving hand," the captain said.
"I called for the crew, we started up the engine and the wind tore our sail. We had to make three or four turns before we could pick up the man. Before he fell unconscious on the yacht deck he told us that he was a Russian captain third class in reserve from the Prometei yacht and had been in the water for four hours," Cherniy said.
Medical aid was given to the survivor.
The Ukrainian Navy command press center said that details of the incident were being investigated. According to the preliminary information, Oleg Lyalin is a member of the Prometei crew.
A number of yachts had to quit the regatta because of the gale, but the majority reached Feodosiya.
The Ukrainian Navy commander's prize regatta is held from June 24 through July 4 to mark the Ukrainian Navy Day and the 228th anniversary of the city of Sevastopol. Twenty-three yachts of the Ukrainian Navy, the Russian Black Sea Fleet, Sevastopol, Mariupol, Odesa, Kyiv and Saki are taking part in the event.