Sydney to Hobart 2024: Luke Watkins recounts near-death experience
Porco Rosso boat captain Luke Watkins has recalled the harrowing moment he almost lost his life in the Sydney to Hobart, as his boat sailed away out of sight.
Hobart sailor Luke Watkins was on his “last breath” when he unclipped his lifeline and floated away from the Tasmanian yacht Porco Rosso in the Rolex Sydney to Hobart in the early hours of Friday morning.
Watkins, 37, of Hobart, went over the side when the 50-footer crashed off the back of a rogue wave and was send sideways, washing half the crew into the safety rail.
Watkins was sent crashing through it.
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He was stuck under water until he could hold his breath no longer.
The Porco Rosso boat captain released himself from the tether that held him to the yacht.
“I started to run out of breath and rather than hang around I managed to release myself,” he said.
“I popped up behind the boat and by that stage it was 200m in front of me when I got my head above water.
“After about two or three waves they disappeared out of sight.”
Unclipping from the tether that held him to the yacht was not as straightforward as he had hoped.
“I was pinned to the rail but I managed to get myself undone,” he said.
“When I saw the boat going away, my first though was ‘well this is not an ideal situation’.
“Then my safety training kicked in.
“I tried to keep myself calm and thought about what I needed to do.
“I got out my safety gear that we have on us at all times.
“I activated my personal locator and my Personal Locator Beacon and the life jacket automatically inflated.
“We also carry glowsticks, so I cracked one for a bit of light and got myself settled once I knew the beacons were both operational.
“I searched my pockets and found my head torch, which was nice, so I had something to at least signal someone.”
It took 45 minutes for Porco Rosso to down sails, start the engine, turn and motor back to retrieve him using the boat’s GPS to hone in on the personal locator.
“When I saw them it was a beautiful sight,” he said.
“They hauled me back on and I remember the first thing I said was ‘I am so glad to see you’.”
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