Australian Triathletes Have Near Miss With Cruise Ship
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Competitors express concern after a cruise ship crosses their path during race in Perth.
Nissan/BRW Triathlon participant Julie West said she was forced to grab hold of a nearby water safety kayak when the vessel crossed the course about 20m from where she had been swimming.
“It was when I was between the land and first buoy, which was only 100 meters out,” West said. “It came in from the right hand side and straight through the swimmers.
“I actually froze and my heart was racing. I guess I was choking on a lot of water because the boat was creating waves. I screamed, another lady on the kayak screamed for swimmers to stop. I was quite concerned for the rest of the race.”
She said there had been other swimmers closer to the boat, which she believed had been travelling at a speed of about eight to 10 knots.
“At one stage I just thought it was so close to them,” she said. “There was a whole lot going thorough my mind—shock, fear and then anger at how this could happen.”
Read More: Guardian Express