Sydney to Hobart yacht race horror injury and drama aboard Sean Langman’s Moneypenny

A Sydney to Hobart sailor suffered a serious leg injury and was strapped to his bunk for hours aboard the bucking boat flooded with tonnes of water. Warning: Graphic content.

The yacht Moneypenny at sea.

Sydney to Hobart skipper Sean Langman helped injured crewmate David Blanchfield with his own suspected broken hand - “pushing bits of stuff’’ back into his lacerate leg after a shocking accident aboard his Moneypenny yacht.

Well known and respected sailor Blanchfield, a 28 race veteran, was on Wednesday being treated in hospital after being washed from the bow of the 70-footer to the mast when hammered by a breaking wave in nasty conditions at sea the second night and morning of the race.

Langman - a senior statesman of the Sydney to Hobart who has been aboard the smallest and largest yachts in the event and was also in the deadly 1998 race - and his experienced crew scrambled to get Moneypenny’s bowman below decks to safety.

After attending to him and cutting away his wet weather clothing they contacted race officials, speaking to a doctor over the radio about their injured mate.

“I did the first triage … few ligament sticking up, he’d busted all the muscle below the knee. It had opened up. We had to push it in,'’ Langman said.

THAT’S A WRAP: Syd-Hob winners, loser, damage bill

Sean Langman at his Noakes Shipyard in McMahons Point.

“We got him below. He was in a lot of pain. We gave him painkillers and got him into the bunk. He was yelling orders at us soon after that.

“We had a compression bandage on to keep him together and got advice from the doctor. The advice was what we were doing was right.’’

Sean Langman has in the past skippered the oldest and smallest yacht in the race, Maluka. This year his son Peter is skipper.

A crewmate said he saw a bone sticking out of Blanchfield’s leg after the accident.

Langman revealed the injury occurred around 15 minutes after he had hurt his own hand attempting to repair a broken hatch which allowed tonnes of water into the yacht.

“The main hatch blew up. We had water pouring into the boat, four tonnes,’’ he said.

“There was so much water coming over us, we were in 44 knot.

“I haven’t had that much water in a boat that didn’t sink. It was awful.

Langman also revealed the yacht had hit a sunfish around four hours into the race, splitting a rudder and damaging a steering quadrant.

Late on Wednesday eight yachts had been forced out with serious damage, including numerous broken rudders.

Tasmanian Police were also on their way to give assistance to the retried yachts Huntress and Sail Exchange.