Newcastle: Three dead, two winched to safety in yacht tragedy
The family on board the catamaran which capsized off Newcastle, killing three, are “cautious and conservative” people, a family friend said.
The family on board the catamaran which capsized off Newcastle, killing three, are “cautious and conservative” people, a family friend said.
The vessel capsized 25km off Stockton Beach at 10am on Thursday.
Grandparents Helen Cooper and Rod Cooper, both aged 78, drowned along with a family friend.
Their son Jeremy Cooper, 50, and his daughter Emma, 16, were winched to safety and flown to John Hunter Hospital with hypothermia.
The father and daughter were released from hospital on Friday as their stricken vessel remained adrift, with police waiting for better conditions to retrieve it as evidence.
A Cooper family friend, Andrew, said the Cooper family were experienced and accomplished sailors.
“It was totally out of the blue. They’re a very cautious and conservative family,” he said.
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Three dead, two winched to safety in yacht tragedy
A rescue helicopter pilot told today of the grim scene as a teenage girl and her father clung to their capsized boat while three other passengers — including the girl’s grandparents — drowned in a horrific ocean tragedy off Newcastle.
“We were expecting to find five people on board an upright vessel. However, when we arrived we actually found the vessel overturned and five people in the water,” Westpac Rescue helicopter pilot Graeme Anderson said.
“It’s hard on the crew, it’s hard on everyone involved. But the NSW paramedic that we had on board did a fantastic job.
“They were very shaken. Understandably. The conditions out there were really, really poor. Strong winds, large waves. You know, we were lucky that we got there to get them.
“What helped these people as well is they were all wearing life jackets and they had an EPIRB. Without that we never would have located them.”
“They were very shaken. Understandably. The conditions out there were really, really poor. Strong winds, large waves. You know, we were lucky that we got there to get them.
“What helped these people as well is they were all wearing life jackets and they had an EPIRB. Without that we never would have located them.”
The crew of five left Shoal Bay in an 11.7m catamaran around 8am, en route to Ettalong on the Central Coast.
At 10am the boat’s EPIRB emergency beacon was set off and a rescue control centre in Canberra sent the Westpac Rescue Helicopter to the scene 25km off Stockton Beach.
The helicopter crew arrived at 10.45am to find the vessel capsized in shocking conditions — freezing cold water, 30-knot winds and 2m swell.
A 50-year-old man and his 16-year-old daughter were suffering hypothermia as they clung to the boat.
Deceased in the water were the girl’s 78-year-old grandparents and another man who had been travelling with the family.
A rescuer was winched down to retrieve the two survivors.
“Unfortunately there has been no other survivors in this incident. It’s absolutely tragic,” an Ambulance NSW spokesman said.
“The two people that they retrieved from the water were actually clutching on to the overturned vessel.”
Marine Area Commander Superintendent Grant Healy said the tragedy occurred in harsh seas and retrieving it could take time.
“The conditions were difficult, we had 25 to 30 knot westerly winds with a sea of one to two metres coming the other way so it was fairly messy out there,” Supt Healy said.
“It’s now capsized and drifting off Newcastle. It’s not in a position where we can recover it yet or salvage it yet.
“When we get favourable weather conditions an attempt will be made to salvage the boat.”
Supt Healy said it was unclear why the boat overturned and exactly how long the five passengers had been in the waters.
The surviving man and child were in John Hunter Hospital this afternoon, where detectives are expected to speak to them later today about what caused the incident.
A Marine Rescue boat also attended the scene, retrieving the three dead bodies for water police who are preparing a report for the coroner.
Police were still contacting next of kin this afternoon to establish how the passengers were related and where they were from.
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