Yacht rescue at Cape York saves life of boatie near Turtle Head Island
A lone yachtie has endured a terrifying ordeal after running a vessel aground in high seas, during a dark night off the coast of the remote Cape York Peninsula.
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A lone yachtie has endured a terrifying ordeal after running a vessel aground in high seas, during a dark night off the coast of the remote Cape York Peninsula.
Just before midnight on Friday in a howling southeast gale the single masted yacht, Vagabond, was pushed onto rocks while running for the shelter of the Escape River.
Nearby residents of Turtle Head Island Rusty and Bronwyn Tully said the skipper sent out a mayday call that was responded to by the Volunteer Marine Rescue team on Thursday Island.
The Tullys said their Starlink comms system went down when the generator was turned off for the night but were woken to the sounds of an Australian Maritime Safety Authority rescue jet flying overhead at about 4am.
“Lyle (from VMR) told us it was a lone sailor, an older man, who had been experiencing bad conditions for a couple of days and had run aground at the front of Turtle Head Island, near the mouth of Escape River, and the Water Police were on the way and the plane was keeping watch,” Mr Tully said.
The Turtle Head Island pearl farmer said on Saturday morning at 7.15am he sighted the stricken yacht high and dry on the rocks near the entrance to the river.
“At around 8am, we saw the rescue chopper, I’m guessing it landed for about 10 minutes, then took off straight towards Thursday Island,” he said.
Queensland Police Service stated the Vagabond’s skipper was rescued at about 5am with assistance from an AMSA Bombardier Challenger jet in an operation led by the Canberra-based Joint Rescue Co-cordination Centre.
An AMSA spokeswoman said the QGAir RSCU700 helicopter was dispatched from Horn Island and was able to land on the beach and transfer the sailor to safety.
The boatie was assessed by Queensland Ambulance Service paramedics and taken to hospital.
Mr Tully said the yacht appeared to be heading south down the east coast from Seisia against 40km/h southeast winds on a dark night in an area known for its strong tidal flow.
“The weather has been very windy with nasty fronts coming through regularly,” he said.
“It is so remote out here and we had no idea he was in trouble.
“He was straight into high winds and big seas, plus an extremely strong tide working against him.
“It is not the time of year to be heading south in a small yacht.”
Turtle Head Island is located off the eastern tip of the Cape York Peninsula, 740kms north of Cairns.
Rusty and Bronwyn Tully are now in the process of making contact with the yacht owner to discuss salvage of the vessel.
Originally published as Yacht rescue at Cape York saves life of boatie near Turtle Head Island
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