Capsized yacht righted after day-long struggle

A SALVAGE crew righted the stricken super yacht Rambler 100 last night after a painstaking, day-long operation off the south coast.

The €18 million vessel, which capsized on Monday during the Fastnet race, was finally rolled back onto its hull on the fifth attempt, just before 8pm.

The deck was a mass of tangled ropes and sailing bags. Its giant mast and rigging had earlier been cut away after divers retrieved some of the crew’s personal belongings and passports from the upturned boat.

Water pumps were placed on board to clear the hull as plans were made to tow the 100ft vessel, whose hull alone is worth at least €7m, back to Baltimore overnight for further assessment.

Meanwhile, some of the sailors at the centre of the dramatic rescue on Monday left Ireland yesterday.

Diplomats arranged emergency passports for four of the 21-strong multinational crew to allow them board flights at Cork Airport for Britain, and on to the US.

They left as US millionaire George David, who owns the yacht, was reunited in Baltimore with his partner Wendy Touton who has made a full recovery from hypothermia.

The couple were among five people rescued from the water after the vessel capsized when its keel snapped off shortly after it rounded the Fastnet lighthouse while competing in the 608-mile Fastnet race.

The Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCBI) has begun a preliminary investigation into the incident.

It has appointed a marine surveyor from the MCBI to ascertain why the keel snapped off the boat.

Sixteen crewmen scrambled up onto the upturned hull and were saved by the Baltimore RNLI.

Mr David, Ms Touton, and three others were swept away and later rescued by the Wave Chieftan dive boat after spending almost three hours linked together in the freezing water.

Ms Touton was airlifted to hospital, suffering from extreme hypothermia, but has made a full recovery.

The couple spent the day relaxing in Baltimore as the salvage operation continued just off Barleycove beach.

The crew’s technical gear and clothes, which had been waiting for them at the race finish line in Plymouth, also arrived in Baltimore yesterday.

Rambler 100’s professional helmsman, Earl Williams, said some crew who have lost passports are still waiting for their respective consulates to arrange their travel papers.

He said Ms Touton has made a full recovery and he paid tribute to the people of Baltimore.

“Everybody has been amazing. We are getting a lot of help from the various consulates in Dublin,” Mr Williams said.

“The fact that we didn’t have a loss of life is hugely important.

“If we had lost people, this would have been an entirely different situation. I guess the impact of the last few days will hit us in a few days.”

He hopes his papers will be finalised soon to allow him to fly back to the US to take up a crewing slot on a yacht competing in a major regatta in Newport, Rhode Island, next week.

Mr Williams, Mr David and some of their crew-mates enjoyed a meal at Youen Jacob’s The Lookout restaurant overlooking Baltimore Bay on Tuesday evening.

Some of the other crew members, including Nathan Hislop, Duncan Maitland and Michael van Beuren, attended the Taste of West Cork reception at Glebe House in Baltimore with some of the RNLI volunteers who saved them.

Monday night’s incident is not the first time a racing yacht has lost a keel in the Fastnet race.

In 1985, Duran Duran singer Simon Le Bon’s boat, Drum, capsized during the race and some of the crew were trapped inside when the keel failed.

The crew were subsequently rescued and the keel was recovered by divers nine years later.