Cutting, sewing, stitching: Ocean racers get hands on medical training

12:06 PM Mon 4 Oct 2010 GMT

'Derek Hatfield (Canada) practising suturing on a pig's trotter as part of medical training by Medical Support Offshore.' Velux 5 Oceans &copy

It is not every day you are asked to cut open a pig's trotter with a sharp knife then stitch it back together again. But that's exactly how the VELUX 5 OCEANS skippers spent an afternoon as they learnt how to cope with medical emergencies at sea. Ocean racers Brad Van Liew, Derek Hatfield, Zbigniew Gutkowski and Chris Stanmore-Major were put through their paces by Dr Spike Briggs and Dr Mark 'Tommo' Tomson from Medical Offshore Support (MSOS) in a day of hands on medical training. As well as navigators, engineers, sailmakers and cooks, the VELUX 5 OCEANS skippers must ...

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by Velux 5 Oceans