Sailors rescued from new boat as it loses keel

Two sailors have been rescued from a capsized yacht in extreme sea conditions by the crew of the Royal Australian Navy destroyer HMAS Brisbane (2July22).

The two experienced mariners’ yacht rolled about 15 nautical miles off Wollongong on the NSW South Coast.

The two yachtsmen, who were found clinging to the hull of their vessel, were rescued by the destroyer’s RIB in 56km/h winds and two-metre swells.

Despite spending 15 hours in the ocean, the two sailors were assessed as being in good condition as Brisbane made the journey back to Sydney to reunite the survivors with their loved ones.

On its facebook page, Sailing Anarchy reports that the yacht is the first Farr X2 – a yacht specifically designed for two-handed offshore racing. The site says this is Hull #1, named Nexba, which was trying to complete the required 100nm ocean passage to qualify for the Sydney-Gold Coast race starting on July 30.

The keel either broke, or fell off, in testing conditions and the 30-footer turned turtle, says the facebook post. The hull – without rig or sails – has since washed up on a beach South of Sydney and the $205,000 yacht is presumably a total write-off. The post asks ‘shouldn’t we be at the point where this kind of thing just doesn’t happen to boats like this’?

Conditions in the area had been tough for the past three days with large seas and up to 30 knots of wind.

It says the incident comes as a major blow to Farr Yacht Design, the manufacturers and the local importer/agent.

The Farr website entry advertising the X2 says the yacht is ‘engineered to be robust enough for the most demanding offshore races in the world’.

Online commentators have expressed their sadness at the situation.

“It’s a crushing blow for all involved and our local industry in general,” says one, while another cautions reflection: “Let’s face it, at the end of the day any design built of any material given the wrong set of circumstances can end badly. Bad weather finds the weak link. Coming from generations of boat builders, sailors and professional seaman there is a fine line between it going OK and not. The sea a tough master. Thankfully the crew all survived and the report about it down the track will be a learning opportunity for us all.”

A third says that “until it’s fully investigated we are at best speculating and at worst mindlessly gossiping.”

The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre reported the vessel missing and initiated the search. Brisbane responded to the call, reaching the 60-square-nautical-mile search area about an hour later.

After the upturned yacht was reported by a passing merchant vessel, MV Arietta Lily, Brisbane headed to its position.

Following the rescue, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority thanked the vessels involved in an official message.

‘The quick response of the ADF and Arietta Lily to our distress broadcast was in the finest traditions of seafarers, and we appreciate the commendable seamanship of both Arietta Lily and HMAS Brisbane in sighting the survivors, maintaining visual contact and coordinating a response and then recovering them in challenging conditions.’

“I want to particularly acknowledge the bravery of the sea boat crew, who conducted the rescue in appalling sea conditions,” says commanding officer Kingsley Scarce. He says the ship’s company were pleased to play their part in the rescue.

Footage shot late June 2022.