How these men ended up with each of their boats destroyed in a two-week period

What started as the adventure of a lifetime has left two men boatless and broken after a rescue mission ended with a second boat sinking. SEE THE VIDEOS

Tony McCracken’s Renegade trimaran was destroyed on a voyage north to rescue Robert’s belongings from his shipwrecked Tiga III boat.

Robert De La Garde was on the trip of a lifetime when his boat ran aground on South Barren Island, putting him in a serious life-threatening situation.

He was rescued via helicopter and taken to Mackay hospital.

With almost all of his money gone and his possessions trapped on the shipwrecked vessel, all hope seemed to be lost.
Everything changed when 73-year-old boatie Tony McCracken reached out to him.
Mr McCracken had heard about Robert’s predicament, and offered to sail him back to the wreckage of his boat to remove the rest of his belongings and deal with leftover fuel.
This was set to be part of Tony’s journey north and eventually around the coast of Australia to raise money for the Fred Hollows Foundation.

“I was going to spend Christmas in the Whitsundays and head north from there,” Mr McCracken said.

The pair made a turbulent journey impeded in part by a large storm cell which had been sitting over South East Queensland, Wide Bay and Central Queensland for the course of the week.

73-year-old Tony McCracken from Brisbane.

They sailed through day and night, racing up the coast as fast as possible to retrieve what was left of Robert’s belongings.

“It was rough for the first couple days, but after that we pretty much went from 1770 to Robert’s boat overnight,” Mr McCracken said.

The pair managed to reach Robert’s boat and retrieve some of his belongings, but they ran aground once they reached the mouth of the Pioneer River in Mackay.

“We were stuck, and we were waiting for the high tide to come off. But the waves were so big, they were belting the yacht and splashing over the roof.”

“Over the period of the night it probably moved us 150 to 200 yards.

“It was like being on Tiga III on that night, but not so severe.”

Robert said that the Volunteer Marine Rescue team in Mackay helped them to return to the mainland in the morning, but that the boat was stuck.

“They arrived in the morning at first light with their boat, by that time the wind had dropped and it was low tide, we were sitting high and dry on a sandbar.”

“There’s a boat yard [in Mackay] that does salvage work. They’ve got a barge - they said ‘look Tony, what we’ll do is take our boat up the river and we’ve got some blow-up bags, so we’ll bag it and wait till the tide comes and float it off.”

Unfortunately, it didn’t go to plan.”

“His boat sank,” Robert said.

“As they pulled it off the reef, it broke in half.”

Tony McCracken’s $60k Renegade boat was destroyed.

Both men are now faced with uncertain futures.
Robert said he is heading back to New South Wales to stay with his sister.
“I am mentally and physically exhausted... when I get home, I’ll probably want to curl up and sleep for a week.”
Tony expressed frustration at the situation and said he was staying in Mackay temporarily.

“Life’s a bitch and then you die.”

“I’ve got some friends in Mackay that are taking very good care of me.”