The crew of a yacht competing in the Newport Bermuda Race were forced to abandon ship 80 miles off Bermuda after the vessel began taking on water.

The seven sailors who were on board the Gunga Din are unharmed and being safely returned to the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club by fellow competitor boat Desna, which also has a crew of seven.

Earlier yesterday, the crew of Alliance which also abandoned ship on Sunday, safely returned to the island on board the Ceilidh.

A spokeswoman for the Newport Bermuda Race, which began on Friday, said: “Gunga Din, a Swedish Yachts 41 owned by Robert Fye and Paul Cunningham, with a total crew of seven, had to abandon ship 80 miles from Bermuda due to water ingress.

“All crew members were successfully transferred, unharmed, to Desna, a Tartan 37 owned by Adam Van Voorhis with seven also aboard.

“All 14 are now making their way towards Bermuda expected late tonight. It is unknown at this time what precisely caused the water ingress.”

The spokeswoman said that as part of entry requirements, boats were rigorously inspected and sailors attended thorough safety courses to prepare for the risks associated with offshore sailing.

She added: “While the loss of these boats is extremely unfortunate, the important outcome is that all sailors involved are safe.”

Brian Hillier, an experienced St George’s Dinghy and Sports Club sailor, was also forced to abandon the 635-mile race from Narragansett Bay after suffering damage to the steering on his J-125, Crossfire.

Mr Hillier and his crew were said to be well and making their way to the island.

Tragedy struck the biennial race in 2022 when Colin Golder, the captain of the Morgan of Marietta, died after going overboard about 325 miles off the coast of Bermuda.

An investigation found that it was unlikely Mr Golder, from New Jersey, would have fallen overboard had he been wearing a life jacket and safety harness.

Rena Lalgie, the Governor, attended events leading up to the start of the race in Rhode Island. They included a Commodore Dinner hosted by the Cruising Club of America, the New York Yacht Club and the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club, and a meeting with Gabe Amo, US congressman for Rhode Island’s first congressional district.

Ms Lalgie inspected the two Bermuda-based yachts, Nasty Medicine and Crossfire, and also joined invited dignitaries at Fort Adams State Park to watch the start of the race.

• Live results from the Newport Bermuda Race are available viahttps://racing.bermudarace.com/raceresults. For more information about the Newport Bermuda Race, commonly known as the Bermuda Race, visithttps://bermudarace.com/2024-race/