RESCUERS braved sharks, gale force conditions and were running out of fuel as they rescued a woman whose husband had been fatally struck by the boom of his yacht in wild weather off Queensland.
The couple, Glynis and Colin Craig, who had been on a round-the-world sailing trip in their 15-metre South African racing yacht Deja Vu, ran into strong winds and heavy seas after leaving the port of Bundaberg on their way to Vanuatu, said Energex Rescue Helicopter pilot Dick Snell.
Around 5.30am (AEST) yesterday, 58-year-old Glynis made a mayday call saying her 62-year-old husband had been struck on the head by the boom and was dead.
An inexperienced sailor, Ms Craig said she could not get the vessel back to port and needed help urgently after the crew from another yacht had been unable to board the vessel due to rough conditions.
A rescue helicopter was sent out from from Rockhampton and winched down a paramedic to check on Mr Craig`s condition.
The Energex Rescue Helicopter based in Bundaberg, then joined the rescue for the trip of more than 150km out to sea with a police officer and a Volunteer Marine Rescue (VMR) member on board.
The two rescuers had to be lowered into the water and swim the 10 metres to the stricken vessel because the Deja Vu`s deck was not suitable for landing.
But initial efforts to winch the pair down were aborted when sharks were spotted in the water.
"The winch operator was winching the crewmen down and had to stop the winch because there were two hammerhead sharks there, so we had to wait until they disappeared," Mr Snell said.
"We were right on the limit of our range and we had about 20 minutes out there to do the job and get back again," Mr Snell said.
"The problem was that she`s not a sailor and she did not know how to sail the yacht.
"She was being blown towards New Zealand."
The distraught woman and the Rockhampton paramedic were taken back to Orchid Beach where the helicopter refuelled before taking her on to Hervey Bay.
The Deja Vu carrying her husband`s body was due to arrive in the central Queensland port of Gladstone around 4am (AEST) tomorrow, but the trip was being hampered by three-metre waves and 60km/h winds.
Mr Snell said the distress call was initially received by New Zealand maritime authorities who relayed it to the Australian Search and Rescue (AusSAR) co-ordination centre in Canberra.
Share this article
