A 40-year-old male crew member on Jamaica in the Clipper 07-08 Round the World Yacht Race has sustained injuries during an accidental gybe on the second day of Race 1 from Liverpool, UK to La Rochelle, France.

Falmouth Coastguard was coordinating a medical evacuation of the casualty this morning off the coast of Cornwall.

Jamaica's skipper Simon Bradley contacted the Clipper 07-08 Race Team at 1920 GMT on Monday after the crew member was injured on deck. No other crew members suffered injuries in the incident.

A qualified doctor, one of the 12 crew members onboard, has been liaising with staff at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth and preparations are being made to evacuate the injured crew member from the yacht. A Royal Navy helicopter from RNAS Culdrose was tasked to assist with the evacuation and was on the scene at 2010 GMT but was unable to transfer the casualty due to the rough conditions.

When the helicopter reached the yacht, she was located approximately 40 nautical miles north northwest of Land's End where they reported force 6 northerly winds with rough seas.

Falmouth Coastguard has advised Skipper Simon Bradley to head towards Mounts Bay off the south coast of Cornwall where a transfer to a lifeboat can be carried out in calmer seas.

Race Director Jonathan Bailey said: "We are in regular contact with Skipper Simon Bradley onboard Jamaica and he and his crew are heading to calmer waters to evacuate the crew member so that he can receive medical attention ashore. We cover such scenarios in the comprehensive training that we provide for all our crews.' When the transfer is complete, Simon and his crew will continue to La Rochelle, Jonathan added.

The fleet of ten Clipper 68s competing in Clipper 07-08 left Liverpool on Sunday 16 September at the start of their ten-month race around the world. The fleet is expected to arrive in La Rochelle on Wednesday 19 September at the end of the 610-mile race. After a four-day visit they will start Race 2 from for their first ocean passage racing across the Atlantic from La Rochelle to Salvador on Sunday 23 September.

With 27 nationalities represented amongst the 400 race crew, Clipper 07-08 is a truly global event. Up to 17 crew members from varying backgrounds sail on each yacht at any one time and they all put their everyday lives on hold for up to ten months to take part in the Clipper Race.

The crews have spent the last months preparing for the race ahead and each one of them has completed comprehensive Clipper Training overseen by Clipper Chairman and legendary solo sailor, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston.