Skipper of Soviet Boat Apparent Suicide Victim

The skipper of the Soviet Union’s entry in the Whitbread Round the World Race was found hanged in a tree in Punta del Este, Uruguay, the first stop in sailing’s premier ocean event.

Authorities said Alexei Gryshenko committed suicide. Two notes were found in his pockets, one asking his wife and parents to forgive him.

Gryshenko, 43, had organized the first Soviet bid in the quadrennial race but was due to return home for unexplained reasons after the first leg from England, in which the 82-foot sloop Fazisi placed sixth among 24 boats.

John Jourdane of Long Beach, the navigator aboard New Zealand entry Fisher & Paykel, said by phone Thursday that Gryshenko had said “he felt inadequate, compared to Skip Novak, who is extremely experienced.”

Novak, an American, was co-skipper of the Soviet boat, which is expected to continue. The United States has no entry.

Jourdane said Gryshenko was found “in a tree about a mile from the boat. They actually showed it on (local) television . . . him hanging from a tree.”

Jim Lutz, a Los Angeles schoolteacher aboard the English entry Liverpool Enterprise, said: “It sent a little tremor through the fleet . . . upset everyone.”

Tass, the official Soviet news agency, said of Gryshenko: “He was an introvert, a reserved man who spoke little. He took close to heart all problems connected with the project, even those that did not relate to him. He expressed regret that he was unable to fulfill the role of captain adequately. This testifies to the fact that he suffered a nervous breakdown.”

Steinlager of New Zealand won the first leg, followed by Merit of Switzerland and Fisher & Paykel. The second leg of the 32,932-nautical mile race will start Oct. 28, from Punta del Este to Fremantle, Australia.