Durban — High drama unfolded along the Eastern Cape coast on Friday night when participants in the Vasco da Gama Ocean Race sent out a mayday call after their yacht reportedly collided with a container and started taking on water.
The National Sea Rescue Institute said the Tipsy and her crew of four were returning to Durban from East London – where the race had ended earlier this week – when the accident happened.
It said that a woman and three men, all in their 60s, abandoned their vessel for a life raft.
“Telkom Maritime Radio Services relayed a mayday distress call and the sailing yacht Zing diverted to respond – reporting to be approximately four hours from the casualty sailing vessel,” the NSRI said in a statement.
Hemraj Gokal from the Royal Natal Yacht Club and the race officer for the annual Daisy Business Solutions Vasco da Gama Ocean Race said that the yacht Tipsy, which was skippered by Jon Marshall, had collided with a submerged object somewhere before Port St Johns.
“Water ingress was catastrophic. The crew declared a mayday and abandoned the yacht, which duly sank,” Gokal said.
The Daisy Business Solutions Vasco da Gama Ocean Race is the oldest coastal ocean race on the local sailing calendar. This year’s edition started in Durban last Sunday and ended in East London.
Eleven yachts took part in the event, which was won by the yacht Bellatrix, skippered by Gregg Hurter.
Sunday Tribune