Capital’s Clipper team in close shave with tornado

THE Capital’s entry in the Clipper Round the World yacht race has had a narrow escape when the crew encountered a tornado heading straight towards them as they head towards their next stop in Singapore.

Skipper Gordon Reid said: “We saw a massive tornado off to our starboard side.

“At first fascinated by this unusual spectacle, I soon realised it was coming straight for us, so we quickly made sure everyone had their life jacket on and safety line attached. The tornado was sucking up vast amounts of sea and looked huge as it approached.

“The winds increased dramatically and I am sure there must have been well over 100 knots in the monster as we tried to outrun it.

“It was looking pretty dicey for a time as we continued to navigate around a collection of fishing boats and an oil rig, but talk about luck – as the tornado was about 400 yards away it just fizzled out and disappeared.”