Yacht Accident - NSW Australia - Two Dead

[surfingminniwinni]

Breaking News

Two killed in yacht race to Flinders Island | National News | News.com.au

[Factor]

Very sad - be interested to see what caused it - too early to get much info yet.

[surfingminniwinni]

Update.

Sail-World.com : Sydney to Flinders Islet Race – two sailors drowned

[MarkJ]

At approximately 0255 hours this morning, a red flare was sighted from a yacht competing in the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s (CYCA) 92 nautical-mile Flinders Islet Race that started off Point Piper on Sydney Harbour last evening at 20.00 hours.
At 0317 hours this morning, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) advised the CYCA Race Officer, Denis Thompson, that a crew member from the 24.4 metre yacht PriceWaterhouseCoopers, owned and skippered by CYCA member, Andrew Short, had activated an EPIRB.
AMSA immediately mobilised their services, contacting the Wollongong Water Police, who attended the scene at Flinders Islet.

Full article from the race organisers Cruising Yacht Club of Australia Cruising Yacht Club of Australia ..Rescue authorities go to yacht in distress competing in the Flinders Islet Race


PriceWaterhouseCoopers


Its a race I've done many times.

[MarkJ]

Come down from the north, leave the isalnd to port and head north again. A big boat would be over 2.9m draft. Tricky nav.

[Factor]

It was the skipper Andrew Short (well known identity) and the navigator (equally well known and experienced lady Sally Gordon) who met their demise. The others all scrambled onto the rocks and were winched off. Interesting t o hear the helicopter rescue crew talk about how effective the reflective strips on the crews yachting gear were in his spotlights.

Seabreeze (an australian weather site) showed 2-3 metre seas and 15-20 knots of wind at or about the time of the accident at or about the location.

Shots from the news helicopter today showed bits probably no bigger that about 2 met by 2 met scatter on the rocks.

Sad news and condolences to the family and to the staff of Andrew Short Marine.

Just goes to show that you dont have to be a 16 year old solo girl to have an accident. There is a Jessica connection - she is presently moored up in Andrew Short's marina.

[creakyboy]

sobering tragedy,my heart goes out to all involved

[Factor]

I must say I am amazed - girl hits boat - a million opinions, yacht hits rock - almost no one has something to offer.

[Jennybug]

Rest is peace

[lampe]

In Australia happened a tragedy during a race:

YouTube - FATAL YACHT CRASH

I pray for the sailors and their families.

[Solitude]

It does once again show that this is a dangerous sport

[Nauticatarcher]

Condolences to Family, but obviously these people were far too Young and inexperienced and what were there parents thinking sending them out in such a flimsy Yacht in those conditions with well charted unmoving Rocks to run into, (Tongue firmly in Cheek)

[dana-tenacity]

Originally Posted by Factor

Very sad - be interested to see what caused it - too early to get much info yet.

Ummmmmm - they hit a rock.

[GordMay]

Middle Harbour Yacht Club commodore Martin Hill said he spoke to a crew member who told him Shockwave V overshot the island, which acts as a turnaround marker for the yachts to head back to Sydney Harbour.

The yacht, entered in the night race under the name of PriceWaterhouseCoopers, was rounding the islet when it experienced a "Chinese gybe", Mr Hill said.

A Chinese gybe, also known as a death roll, happens when a yacht is sailing dead downwind in windy conditions, and suddenly starts to roll back and forth with increasing amplitude.

It reaches a point where the boat actually broaches to windward and is also turning sharply to leeward causing it to gybe uncontrolled, or crash gybe.

"You go around that rock yourself and you know it well and you just know that there must have been a terrible set of circumstances that created this tragedy," Mr Hill told AAP.

"The original report says the keel fell off but my understanding is that the boat did this Chinese gybe."

From: timesonline.co.uk and au.news.yahoo.com.

[Joli]

Very sad. Not sure how the hell you stuf the pole in moderate conditions on an 80 footer. Conjection here, they hit bottom and spun so it appeared to be Chinese.

Is the water cold enough in those areas that they succumbed to hypothermia?