Mossel Bay Race tragedy
At approximately 11:45 on Friday, 28 September the front runners of this year's Mossel Bay Race over 210 nautical miles from Simon's Town to Mossel Bay were spotted off the Point of Mossel Bay.
Some yachts, such as Radio Holland Gryphon, the winner of this year's race, entered the bay with damaged sails, evidence of the rough sea conditions the sailors had to face. Second home was Raymarine Regardless. By approximately 19:30 the participating yachts were safely moored in Mossel Bay.
Owned by False Bay Yacht Club, the Mossel Bay Race is known as South Africa's oldest ocean race.
Overboard
This year the skipper of racing yacht Silver Girl, Melvin Rautenbach, on Thursday fell overboard after the yacht was apparently struck by a wave 10 nautical miles off-shore of Quoin Point, between Gansbaai and Agulhas.
A distress call from the yacht was intercepted by Telkom Maritime Radio Services on Thursday at 19:30.
Despite an extensive overnight search operation by the NSRI ASR (Airborne Sea Rescue), an SA Air Force 22 Squadron Oryx helicopter and an SA Air Force 35 Squadron Dakota aircraft, MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre) and TNPA (Transnet National Ports Authority), there has been no sign of the 45-year-old skipper.
According to the NSRI, sea conditions grew increasingly unfavourable as the search progressed and sea swells exceeded six metres.
The NSRI Hermanus towed Silver Girl, with a damaged tiller arm and failing battery, to Hermanus harbour.
Telkom Maritime Radio Services continue to alert vessels in the area and vessels passing through the area, to keep watch.