Man dead after yacht capsizes in Sydney’s south
EXPERIENCED yachtie Terry Annesley was sailing home to his wife Barbara with the help of Jacinta Hip, 24, in a newly purchased boat when it capsized after hitting a reef in rough conditions off Sydney’s south yesterday.
NSW
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EXPERIENCED yachtie Terry Annesley was sailing home to his wife Barbara when he drowned after his newly purchased boat capsized in rough seas off Sydney’s south on Monday.
Emergency crews were called to Boat Harbour near Kurnell just before sunrise after the nine-metre yacht, the CC Rider, skippered by Mr Annesley, struck a reef and overturned in the rough conditions.
Jacinta Hip — a 24-year-old woman sailing with Mr Annesley — swam 30 metres to shore from the vessel in darkness before raising the alarm.
Rescuers saw the body of the 72-year-old Queensland skipper floating near Wanda Beach.
He was winched to shore but was unable to be revived.
Bundaberg resident Jody Appo said Mr Annesley was a pioneering industrial chemist before he retired to enjoy yachting.
“He was a renaissance man quite frankly,” Mr Appo said.
“He knew how to do everything. He tutored kids in advanced mathematics up here at the university. He really did fill a niche – the acquired knowledge he had.”
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Mr Appo said Mr Annesley had previously sailed from Australia to New Zealand and knew the sea well.
“I was lucky enough to go out with him on his yacht once,” Mr Appo said.
“The yacht that I sailed to Brisbane from Bundaberg with him he had made in the ‘70s. He was very experienced on water.”
Another Bundaberg friend Concetta Greco, who became close with Mr Annesley in recent years, remembered him as a gregarious soul who would talk to anyone.
“He was very friendly, he’d talk to everyone,” Ms Greco said.
“He had a love for being out in the ocean. He was very switched on, he knew what he was doing. But the last time I saw him he was getting older.”
Mr Annesley and Ms Hip appeared to be close friends and had known each other for at least a year before setting sail with the yachtie commenting that she looked “radiant” on her Facebook in the latest photo she posted.
Police said Ms Hip was helping Mr Annesley sail the vessel back to Queensland.
Inspector Mel Thompson praised Ms Hip’s gallant effort in “hazardous” seas.
“It’s a tragic circumstance … it is remarkable that she got to the shore,” she said.
Ms Hip was treated at the scene for hypothermia before being transferred to Sutherland Hospital, where she remains in a stable condition.
Inspector Thompson said the seas were rough by the time rescue services reached the scene.
“The seas were quite hazardous … which would’ve been difficult to rescuers.”
A Greenwell Point resident, who did not wish to be named, said Mr Annesley regularly travelled to the coastal town to work on his new yacht after buying it four months ago.
“He was a spritely little bloke — for his age he was fit — but this can happen to anyone,” the resident said.
“He was a nice bloke. I hadn’t seen him for several weeks. He’d come down and work on the boat and then go back up to Queensland. I ran into him on the river and gave him a hand.”
The resident said the CC Rider’s autopilot was not working before Mr Annesley set sail with Ms Hip on the 600-nautical mile journey to Bundaberg.
“That’s why he had two people on board — one rests while the other sails,” he said.
“There was nothing wrong with the boat, I think it was the weather.”
Mr Annesley previously worked as a delivery skipper and often lived on boats, including on the CC Rider at Greenwell Point.
While it remains unknown if the pair were wearing life jackets during their expedition, Inspector Thompson advised all locals to take care when heading out to sea.
‘I would urge anyone undertaking any form of water sports or to the water they do wear a life jacket,” she said.
It’s believed the pair had left the South Coast town of Greenwell Point on Sunday and were making their way to Mr Annesley’s hometown of Bundaberg before they got into trouble.
Mr Annesley’s death comes only two days after a 37-year-old man died after he drowned while snorkelling at Racecourse Beach on the South Coast on Saturday.
Surf Life Saving NSW chief executive Steven Pearce said there was a concern among authorities that safety messages have not sunk in on the cusp of summer.
“It has been a very challenging few days on the beach, and unfortunately these tragic incidents are a reminder of the power of the ocean,” Mr Pearce said.
“With the new patrol season almost upon us it’s an ideal time to reiterate some of the most important safety messages.
“As surf lifesavers we want everyone to enjoy their time at the beach safely and it’s crucial that people make the effort to swim at a patrolled location and between those red and yellow flags.”
Other safety measures include reading weather forecasts and tide changes and wearing the correct gear including a lifejacket if fishing.
The Daily Telegraph understands Mr Annesley purchased the boat off Gumtree several months ago and left it docked at a wharf in Greenwell Point for a number of months before picking it up yesterday.
A sailing enthusiast in the Shoalhaven region, who runs the Facebook page Greenwell Point yachts saw the yachtie before he went to sea yesterday.
He said, “There were strong wind warnings when he took off yesterday morning and he said he’s an experienced sailor but I wouldn’t have gone out in those winds.”
He believed the yacht was seaworthy when it departed.
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The Bureau of Meteorology reported “the wind peaked at 27 knots overnight which is enough to set off a strong wind warning”.
The yacht remained on the beach at Boat Harbour on Monday with police saying it was “a little bit too dangerous” to remove in such conditions.