Last man out of yacht ‘swam into the light’

THE last man aboard the Rambler 100 racing yacht waited in his bunk for the tipping vessel to right itself before scrambling straight into the water.

Nathan Hislop, 36, from New Zealand, was among a number of crew sleeping below deck when was woken by a loud bang.

“At first I thought it was the mast, I stayed in bed, I thought it was just the mast coming down. I could feel the boat tipping over, further and further. We just kept going and going and I realised I had to get out of there,” he said.

Immersed in bone-chilling waters with no life jacket or protective gear, Hislop made a desperate bid to exit the flailing vessel dressed in his thermals.

“I just swam into the light, I just went into survival mode. I was the last out of the boat. There were four of us sleeping below deck, with minimal protective clothing,” he said.

The speed with which the racing yacht capsized prevented crew from boarding three life rafts on board the vessel. Crew members gripped the tipping hull as it turned, while others had to jump clear of the vessel as it keeled over.

“There was no chance of even cutting the life rafts free and I didn’t have time to grab my life jacket, but I think that actually helped me swim free of the sleeping quarters into the water,” Mr Hislop said.

Out on the water, in a 4.5 metre swell in choppy, foggy conditions, the crew clung together to form a protective barrier for those without gear.

“We were hugging each other and holding on tight. We used each other’s body heat. While the water wasn’t frigid, it was the wind that was bitterly cold. The others that had gear formed a protective barrier against the wind for us and we just waited,” he said.

The crew used EPIRB distress radio beacons in a bid to attract attention as crews of at least three other racing vessels sped past, oblivious to their plight.

“The Leopold came very close, I would say within a quarter of a mile. They couldn’t see us, it was windy, foggy and the spray was crashing over the yacht. When other boats passed us by, we did start to get a little worried, it was getting dark and we were worried the EPIRB’s weren’t working. But you can’t stress about it when you are out there, you just have to stay calm,” he said.