On 25 November, Sail Bahrain’s Kingdom of Bahrain Volvo 60 racing yacht was stopped by Iranian navy vessels, as it was making its way from Bahrain to the start of the Dubai-Muscat Offshore Sailing Race. The boat may have strayed inadvertently into Iranian waters.
The five crew members, all British nationals, are still in Iran. All are understood to be safe and well and their families have been informed.
British media identified the five as Oliver Smith, Sam Usher, of Scarborough, North Yorkshire; Luke Porter, of Weston-super-Mare; Oliver Young, of from Saltash, near Plymouth; and David Bloomer, from Malahide, county Dublin. Bloomer, a Bahrain-based radio presenter who was due to air broadcasts about the race, was travelling with a British passport but is believed to have dual British-Irish citizenship.
The families of several of the sailors said they had been able to speak to them by phone since their detention. Charles Porter, father of Luke Porter, said he had talked to his son on Monday and “he was as good as can be expected.”
“He is a very strong character, very resilient. He’s a professional sailor, very used to dealing with adversity.”