Geelong man Mark Cornell winched to safety in Great Barrier Reef after yacht runs aground

A former Geelong man had to be winched to safety in Queensland after the boat he called home, which was not insured, crashed.

A Geelong man and his crewmate had to be winched to safety off Far North Queensland last week after their boat ran aground into a reef.

Mark Cornell sold everything he owned three years ago and bought a 52ft yacht, named the Escapee, which became his home.

On August 23, the 64-year-old and his crewmate, Sarah Jones, left Cairns and were headed to Lizard Island on the Great Barrier Reef.

They planned to stop by Darwin to pass customs, before heading to Indonesia, a country Cornell had called home in the past.

Mark Cornell and his crewmate were rescued in Far North Queensland last week after their boat encountered rough waters and strong winds.

The yacht was about 9km off Lizard Island, and travelling through rough seas and 40km/h winds, when the engine died with 20 litres of fuel remaining in the tank.

Mr Cornell spent Wednesday night drifting through the sea and trying to avoid shipping lanes while he attempted to fix the engine.

The yacht then ran aground at Waining Reef, about 26km north west of Lizard Island, and as the weather continued to deteriorate Mr Cornell prepared to abandon the vessel.

“We put the anchor down but a large wave hit and the (winch) let off more chain” he said.

“We ended up in three metres of water, the keel was banging against the reef.”

Mark Cornell's boat before it became shipwrecked en route to Lizard Island.

Mr Cornell recalled the desperate moment he and his crewmate had to go overboard.

“The helicopter was five minutes away, and then the boat started to lean,” he said.

“At that stage I grabbed my crew member, told her to inflate her lifejacket, walked to the back of the boat, and told her to scissor jump over the side, and when you hit the water, start swimming.

“There were two and a half metre waves breaking, and she only had four or five seconds between waves.”

Ms Jones got to the safety of the reef, and Mr Cornell wasn’t far behind

On Thursday morning, the pair were winched to safety by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority’s air rescue chopper after they broadcasted the mayday call.

Mr Cornell, who had been living aboard the vessel, lost everything, and the boat was not covered by insurance.

“It was my home for the last three years,” he said.

“All my assets, the ashes of my youngest daughter were on board.

“They were one of the only things I managed to get off the boat.”

Mr Cornell bought the boat in late 2020, he travelled to Bowen in Queensland where it was situated, to fix it up, with the dream of his Indonesian trip his main objective.

Unfortunately a major hiccup quickly struck.

“Ten days after buying (the yacht), I was underneath fixing something,” he said.

“I was under the water and I just couldn’t stop coughing.

“Turns out I’d had a heart attack, I had to move in with family in Albury, it set me back three months.”

Mr Cornell left Geelong in 2015.

He used to own the Corio skating rink and spent time working at Barwon Prison.

A GoFundMe has been set up by one of Mr Cornell’s friends to help him get back onto his feet.

To support Mr Cornell, head to gofundme.com/lost-everything-at-sea.

Originally published as Geelong man Mark Cornell winched to safety in Great Barrier Reef after yacht runs aground