Missing Cape Town yachtsman Nic Robinson must have been "fighting for his life" during his last hours on board his yacht Sea Jade as he battled through a storm with damaged rigging and faulty steering.
This was the opinion of the three yachtsmen who struggled to sail the damaged Sea Jade back to St Helena last week, and who patched together what they believe were Robinson's last hours before he went overboard last month on his way home to Cape Town.
There has been no sign of Robinson since.
The three yachtsmen are Mike van Rensburg of Kommetjie, on holiday on St Helena, and Graham Sim and Paul Ellick from the island.
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Wondered if Robinson had taken his own life Speaking from the island yesterday, Van Rensburg said they had wondered if Robinson had taken his own life.
"He had just lost his girlfriend (Wendy Meyer), but looking at the evidence on board we realised Nic had actually been fighting for his life. He was in really bad weather because I saw that weather system on the internet. Extreme winds and it must have been rolling.
"He could not get the mainsail up because the halyard - to raise (it ) - and the halyards on the front sails had broken.
"On top of that there were problems with the hydraulic steering.
"He must have gone up the mast out of desperation to sort out the mainsail."
Robinson had used a climbing device, not a bosun's chair, which was still hanging from the mast.
"He probably got flung out while he was up there. It's pretty easy for that to happen, especially if the boat was rolling. There is no evidence that he hit the deck.
"There is a boarding ladder at the back of the boat, but in that weather it would have been difficult to get back."
A video camera on board may hold more information about the storm. None of the trio has looked at what it holds as they feel it is up to Robinson's family to do so.
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