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Yachts get ready for Sydney to Hobart race
1998: Six die as huge waves smash into yachts
England have
Six people are feared dead after raging storms hit competitors in the
Sydney to Hobart yacht race.
British Olympic yachtsman Glyn Charles is missing presumed dead after his
safety harness snapped in winds of up to 90mph (144km/h), with waves of 40ft
(12m) high reported by sailors in the prestigious Australian race.
Sailors from around the world are taking part in the 630 nautical mile
(1167km) race from Sydney Harbour to Hobart on Tasmania.
Mr Charles, from Emsworth, Hampshire, is one of six competitors who are
thought to have drowned as 115 yachts taking part in race were lashed by storms
in the notoriously treacherous stretch of sea, which has often been called "Hell
on High Water" by sailors.
He was swept overboard after his yacht Sword of Orion lost its mast and
capsized, flinging crew members into the sea.
His harness broke and we lost him. There was nothing we could do. I thought
we were all going to die.
The search for Mr Charles' body was called off as darkness fell 24 hours
after he was lost. He had postponed a trip home to see his mother after being
offered a chance to compete in the race.
Four bodies have been recovered and rescuers have now given up hope of
finding the Briton and an Australian yachtsman, who are presumed drowned in the
worst death toll in the 54-year history of the event.
The other missing man was thought to be an Australian, who was a crew
member aboard the Winston Churchill, which had sailed in the inaugural 1944
race. The bodies of two other crew members from the yacht have been
recovered.
A New South Wales government coroner's inquiry has been ordered to
investigate the loss of life, while the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, the
race organiser, will also investigate the disaster.
A helicopter lifted a crew of 12 from the dismasted VC Offshore Stand
Aside, a 40ft (12m) yacht from Adelaide. One crew member lost several fingers
and another sailor suffered head injuries.
Sixty-seven boats - well over half the starters - have abandoned the race
and are heading for safe harbour, with dozens arriving at the New South Wales
port of Eden. Many of the sailors were in tears as they stepped ashore. The
flags festooning Hobart are at half-mast.
Veterans - including former UK prime minister Sir Edward Heath - who won in
1969 skippering Morning Cloud, have spoken of enormous waves and hours spent
struggling to cover just a few miles.
Rescuers, including helicopters crews using thermal imaging equipment and
seven Australian Air Force planes, took part in the search.
The deaths have prompted questions about why organisers did not delay the
start of the race following forecasts of bad weather in the Bass Strait.
The Sayonara was first to finish the race at 0806 local time, coming up the
river Derwent surrounded by probably the smallest spectator fleet for many
years. The yacht was five hours outside the race record, finishing in a little
over two days and 19 hours.
Rajiv Gandhi was persuaded to leave his job as an airline pilot for
politics
1984: Rajiv Gandhi wins landslide election victory
Artificially 1969:
The Rajiv Gandhi is claiming a landslide victory in the Indian general
election.
With almost half the votes declared early this morning, it became apparent
that his Congress (Indira) Party had taken 80% of the seats and was well ahead
of any opposition parties.
Although the final margin may be smaller, it is widely accepted that the
Congress Party is likely to win a massive majority.
The opposition parties, which failed to unite against the Congress Party,
have been all but wiped out, including the Hindu nationalist party, the BJP.
The BJP was expected to gain from the sectarian backlash following the
assassination of Mr Gandhi's mother and the previous Prime Minister, Indira
Gandhi. She was shot dead by her own Sikh bodyguards in October.
The news was not all good for the Congress Party, however: in the southern
state of Andhra Pradesh, six cabinet ministers lost their seats to the Telgu
Desam party.
The party's leader, Chief Minister and veteran film star NT Rama Rao,
defeated an attempt by Indira Gandhi to dismiss him in August.
Mr Gandhi was told news of his triumph quietly at home in New Delhi, where
he lives with his Italian-born wife, Sonia, and their two children.
His election follows two months as de facto prime minister since the death
of his mother.
He has campaigned on an anti-corruption ticket, promising to rid the ruling
Congress Party of a legacy of fraud and arrogance.
Known widely by his nickname of "Mr Clean", Rajiv Gandhi is seen as a break
with the past of the Congress Party, which has held power in India for most of
the last 30 years.
He is also seen as more pragmatic than his mother, and more liberal towards
business.
But his opponents have accused him of relying on the "sympathy vote" for
his victory, and one opposition MP commented that Indira Gandhi was "ruling from
the grave".
Others point out his relative inexperience as a politician. Until four
years ago, he was an airline pilot, but was persuaded to give it up to go into
politics by his mother after the death of his younger brother, Sanjay.
Vocabulary:
treacherous : tending to betray(背叛的) |
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发表于 2016-7-9 23:22:38