Tragedy strikes as racing yacht capsizes off Queensland coast

Over the weekend, tragedy struck off the coast of Queensland as a racing yacht capsized, resulting in the death of a sailor, as reported by Australian police. The incident occurred at approximately 0500 hours on Sunday morning, when an EPIRB associated with the yacht activated four nautical miles off Lady Elliot Island in the Great Barrier Reef. The vessel had lost its keel, causing it to capsize.

Upon receiving distress signals, multiple vessels and police assets rushed to the scene. RACQ LifeFlight, a helicopter rescue nonprofit, deployed a rescue aircraft and successfully rescued a father and son, aged 62 and 27, who were found safe on top of the upturned yacht’s hull. Unfortunately, a third man, aged 65, went missing in the capsizing and was later found deceased by police divers.

The yacht involved in the tragic accident was identified by the Australian sailing community as the Sayer 11 racing boat “Runaway,” known for its carbon fiber high-performance monohull design. Keel failures, while rare, can have catastrophic consequences in the yachting world, as seen in previous incidents such as the loss of the yacht “Cheeki Rafiki” in 2015. This latest incident serves as a reminder of the risks associated with high-performance keel designs in racing yachts.

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