Durban - A massive two-day search for Joburg woman Carly Hill, who reportedly fell overboard while on watch on a catamaran on Friday while her husband Peter slept below deck, has led nowhere.
Carly, 58, who was not wearing a lifejacket, is believed to have gone overboard several kilometres off the mouth of the Tugela River.
The search involved police, the NSRI, a helicopter, fixed-wing aircraft, boats and swimmers.
Last night Peter, 65, was sailing his vessel, Oryx, back to Durban harbour.
The couple are experienced sailors.
According to a blog by Carly, they had sailed from Portugal across the Atlantic to South America, and then to Cape Town en route to Madagascar. Damage to the hull of their catamaran meant a lengthy lay-over at the Port Owen boatyard for repairs, after which they continued to Durban.
They spent two weeks in the city before setting sail again for Madagascar.
NSRI spokesman Craig Lambinon said Peter, a UK citizen, was “distraught”.
He raised the alarm around 1.30pm on Friday.
“The skipper reported that he had been asleep and when he woke he found that his wife was missing,” said Lambinon.
He said all the yacht’s lifejackets were accounted for, indicating that Carly had not been wearing one.
Lambinon said the search operation had focused on sea drift, prevailing currents and wind speed and direction.
Lambinon said yesterday Maritime Radio Services were continuing to broadcast an all-ships alert.
“Hill is now talking to the Durban Port Authority and the police and is heading back to Durban.”
Quentin Power, who oversees a voluntary search-and-rescue operation on the KwaZulu-Natal North Coast, said given the low temperatures and Hill’s age, she was unlikely to have swum to |safety.
“Hill’s husband said they were 14km offshore when he noticed she was missing. The conditions were not in her favour.”
But Power said he didn’t want to completely write off Carly’s chances of survival.
“I’ve known people who have clung to floating objects for two to three days before being rescued. Anything is possible.”
But others are less optimistic. Frank Stuyck, owner of the Port Owen boatyard near the Berg River estuary, said: “Things are not looking good. We hope for the best, but must prepare ourselves for the worst.”
Stuyck has known Peter for a long time and said the “seasoned” sailor had repaired boats, and built a vessel from scratch, at his boatyard.
“He has written several ‘how to’ books for sailors and is incredibly experienced. Carly is also a good sailor, but there is always a chance of accidents when you choose a life at sea.”
However, said Stuyck, “it is unusual that she seems to have fallen off the boat in the middle of the day”.
He described Carly as “a wonderful woman. She was quiet, and minded her own business, but was very warm. I only realised recently that she had also written a book, because she didn’t talk much about herself”.
Stuyck said he had noted the Oryx had no guard rail.
“But the cockpit was very secure. That is where you usually stand when you are on watch duty. Generally one would clip oneself to the boat using a life harness.
“Unless Carly is found alive we will never know why she wasn’t clipped on, or wearing |a life jacket. We can only surmise.”
Former Point Yacht Club commodore and well-known sailor Bob Fraser interacted with the couple briefly and |also boarded the Oryx, when they made their stopover in Durban.
“If the woman slipped, with the boat having no guardrails, she would surely have fallen over,” Fraser said.
It has been a long-standing tradition of Fraser to meet and greet visiting sailors.
Sunday Tribune