Yacht star rescued after two days at sea
ENGLISH yachtswoman Susie Goodall was winched to safety last night after she was knocked unconscious 2,000 miles from land when her boat capsized in a violent storm.
Goodall, 29, had to wait two days for help after her vessel was struck by 30ft waves west of Cape Horn as she competed in a round-the-world race.
Her 36ft yacht DHL Starlight went end over end as the mast and rigging were ripped out of the deck in 75mph winds.
The 38,000-ton Chinese cargo ship Tian Fu, bound for Argentina, diverted from its course before coming alongside to rescue Goodall. The crew were believed to have winched her aboard. She had to manoeuvre her mast-less yacht alongside before using a harness to attach herself to a swinging hook.
A relieved Goodall tweeted: “ON THE SHIP” minutes after the hair-raising rescue. She was the youngest competitor in the non-stop solo race the Golden Globe 2018.
She was in fourth place when her boat capsized following a failure in the automatic steering system. When she came to, she raised the distress signal, which was first picked up by Falmouth Coastguard.
She tweeted to say she was “totally and utterly gutted”, and has since been seasick because of the mast-less boat pitching in the waves.
Founder and race organiser Don McIntyre said before the rescue: “She was in shock and during a dramatic phone call didn’t want to abandon the boat.
“But we had to make her realise it was more serious than she thought. It will be tricky.
“There are still plenty of challenges, and for Susie, it will be a hell of a ride.”