Replica of Bronze Age boat sinks

An eight-member crew's attempt to make sailing history in a replica of a Bronze Age boat met its watery grave just six miles off Sur on Wednesday night.

The Majan boat, made of reeds, developed leaks and sank hours after it set sail from Sur in the eastern region of Oman on a voyage to the western Indian port of Dwarka.

All eight crew members were taken to the hospital for a routine check-up, Captain M.D. Suresh, Defence Advisor in the Indian embassy in Muscat, told Gulf News yesterday.

"Australian sailmaster Peter Manthorpe sustained head injuries and a concussion, but after treatment at Sur Hospital he was discharged," he said.

"The boat had done only six miles in almost 10 hours after being flagged off from Sur and that slow pace worried us," Suresh said.

"We called Fulk Al Salama, the ship that was escorting Majan, at 10pm and we were told that the boat had encountered a problem," he said.

According to Suresh, water started seeping in and once it reached the upper deck, Fulk Al Salama rescued the crew.

Suresh said early yesterday morning only the tip of the Majan's mast was visible and recovery of the boat was unlikely.

"In these conditions the material used to make the boat will degrade to such an extent that it may come apart while lifting it off the seabed," he said.