Famed racing sailboat attacked by gunmen off war-torn Yemen

By JON GAMBRELL and ISABEL DEBRE
Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Officials say that a Hong Kong-flagged sailboat is reported to have come under attack off the coast of war-torn Yemen. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations group said the attack on Thursday happened off Hodeida, a contested port city amid Yemen’s yearslong civil war. A European Union force says the militants fired some 20 warning shots and threatened the ship with rocket-propelled grenades. However, the ship escaped. Dryad Global, a maritime intelligence firm, told The Associated Press that the vessel involved was the Lakota, a 62-foot, or 19-meter, sailboat flagged out of Hong Kong. The Lakota has led its skippers to win multiple sailing races around the world.