Two sailors were rescued when the French bulk carrier CMA CGM Rossini brought the two to safety on Tuesday morning.
The pair were taken by their rescuers to Cape Town‚ where they were met by family and colleagues‚ said Craig Lambinon of Sea Rescue Communications.
Sailing from Durban to Port Elizabeth‚ via Cape Town‚ the sailors — Jean Sitruk‚ 65‚ from Lyon‚ France and Kyle Castelyn‚ 19‚ from Strand‚ Cape Town — were part of the crew of the catamaran Llama Lo‚ which struck a whale while sailing in rough seas off the coast of the Transkei.
The noticed the whale swimming away before the yacht began taking on water after the collision. The yacht swung from side to side before the pair abandoned ship.
They managed to put out a VHF marine radio Mayday distress broadcast on their marine radio VHF emergency frequency Channel 16 before they abandoned the yacht‚ which capsized soon after.
But their Mayday call went unheard.
The pair mounted one of two rubber-ducks they had onboard‚ seeing it as their best chance of survival.
They activated their EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) and hung on while rowing in rough seas with strong winds and 5 metre swells.
When they were about 50 nautical miles off the coast of the Transkei‚ they noticed ships in the distance using spotlights in the darkness‚ but they were too far away to get the attention of those on the ships.
They set off a red distress flare but that also went unnoticed.
Early on Sunday morning they capsized on the rubber-duck‚ losing most of their supplies and belongings‚ but they were able to get some rest on the upturned hull of the rubber duck before it capsized again the right way up‚ forcing them to paddle to keep the bow headed into the onslaught of waves.
At sunrise they saw ships in the distance but the ships were too far away to see the pair.
They were finally located during an ongoing search by the CMA CGM Rossini at around 18h25 on Sunday‚ 55 nautical miles off-shore of Kidd’s Beach‚ East London.
They ship sounded three fog horn blasts and flicker spot lights in their direction after appearing to stop dead in the water about three nautical miles away – and they knew they had been spotted.
The Captain of the CMA CGM Rossini manoeuvred the 277-metre ship closer to them before taking the exhausted pair onboard.
They described 5-star treatment from the crew of the ship who even gave each of them new shoes during the voyage to Cape Town.
Salvage experts are investigating the feasibility of salvaging the catamaran‚ which remains capsized and adrift at sea.
Two sailors rescued after days at sea
Two sailors were rescued when the French bulk carrier CMA CGM Rossini brought the two to safety on Tuesday morning.
The pair were taken by their rescuers to Cape Town‚ where they were met by family and colleagues‚ said Craig Lambinon of Sea Rescue Communications.
Sailing from Durban to Port Elizabeth‚ via Cape Town‚ the sailors — Jean Sitruk‚ 65‚ from Lyon‚ France and Kyle Castelyn‚ 19‚ from Strand‚ Cape Town — were part of the crew of the catamaran Llama Lo‚ which struck a whale while sailing in rough seas off the coast of the Transkei.
The noticed the whale swimming away before the yacht began taking on water after the collision. The yacht swung from side to side before the pair abandoned ship.
They managed to put out a VHF marine radio Mayday distress broadcast on their marine radio VHF emergency frequency Channel 16 before they abandoned the yacht‚ which capsized soon after.
But their Mayday call went unheard.
The pair mounted one of two rubber-ducks they had onboard‚ seeing it as their best chance of survival.
They activated their EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) and hung on while rowing in rough seas with strong winds and 5 metre swells.
When they were about 50 nautical miles off the coast of the Transkei‚ they noticed ships in the distance using spotlights in the darkness‚ but they were too far away to get the attention of those on the ships.
They set off a red distress flare but that also went unnoticed.
Early on Sunday morning they capsized on the rubber-duck‚ losing most of their supplies and belongings‚ but they were able to get some rest on the upturned hull of the rubber duck before it capsized again the right way up‚ forcing them to paddle to keep the bow headed into the onslaught of waves.
At sunrise they saw ships in the distance but the ships were too far away to see the pair.
They were finally located during an ongoing search by the CMA CGM Rossini at around 18h25 on Sunday‚ 55 nautical miles off-shore of Kidd’s Beach‚ East London.
They ship sounded three fog horn blasts and flicker spot lights in their direction after appearing to stop dead in the water about three nautical miles away – and they knew they had been spotted.
The Captain of the CMA CGM Rossini manoeuvred the 277-metre ship closer to them before taking the exhausted pair onboard.
They described 5-star treatment from the crew of the ship who even gave each of them new shoes during the voyage to Cape Town.
Salvage experts are investigating the feasibility of salvaging the catamaran‚ which remains capsized and adrift at sea.
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