A yacht owner, his wife and their dog scrambled to safety and on to a rescue craft moments before their yacht sank.
They had experienced difficulties at sea and called for help by firing a flare. Their yacht sank on Tuesday while it was being towed to Durban harbour.
According to the Cape Town couple, who have only been identified by their surname, Lubbe, they found themselves in difficulty soon after launching from the Zululand Yacht Club in Richards Bay on Sunday.
They drifted without motor or electrical power, under a make-shift sail, before setting off distress flares on Monday.
The flares attracted the attention of a passing vessel, Kishore.
Clifford Ireland, Durban station commander of the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI), said they were notified by the Transnet National Ports Authority after a request for help from the Kishore. It had diverted from its path to investigate the flares.
“On arrival at the source of the flares, they found a couple and their dog on the yacht, See Brak. The crew on Kishore remained on-site pending sea rescue’s arrival,” Ireland said.
Sea rescue craft Eikos Rescuer II arrived at 10.45pm on Monday and a tow-line was rigged. Ireland said the yacht was towed towards Durban’s port in rough sea conditions with a 15-20-knot north-easterly wind and a 3-metre swell.
On Tuesday morning the See Brak took on water and began sinking two nautical miles off Durban while under tow.
“The sea rescue craft attempted to get water extrication pumps on to the yacht but soon after the couple and their dog abandoned their yacht.
“They were brought aboard the sea rescue craft. The couple and their dog, a schnauzer, were all wearing life jackets and were not injured,” Ireland said.
NSRI head, Craig Lambinon, said the rescue vessel dropped the couple off at Durban port. It is believed they lived aboard the yacht.
Michelle Meiring Hibbert, of the Zululand Yacht Club, said the yacht had previously been called Albion.
It appeared the Lubbes had not cleared their passage with port control, but had given the impression they were heading for Madagascar or Mauritius.
The South African Maritime Safety Authority’s (Samsa) executive manager for the East Coast region, Captain Saroor Ali, said today: “I can’t tell you if the vessel was seaworthy or not because we are still investigating the matter.”
He said the organisation had gone to interview the couple yesterday but they had been busy with SAPS and Transnet Port Authorities. “We had to give the others priority. But now, as we speak, our investigators are examining the incident and trying to see what went wrong. We will interview the people on board in due course.”
Richards Bay Yacht Club manager, Fiona Linde, said Lubbe was in the process of registering his vessel after he had acquired it from a British sailor.
“Nothing had been finalised yet,” she said, adding that the man had been a member of the club since February.
She explained that “seaworthiness” encompassed many aspects.
“There needs to be fire extinguisher on board and a life raft, for example. His hull had been inspected and there was a problem with his rigging.
“...We haven’t tried to contact him because we are not sure he managed to salvage his cellphone when the boat sank.”
She said that Lubbe had started the process of flight plan submission, but had not completed it.