Ships asked to signal yacht

AN AIR and sea search is continuing off the Irish Coast for the missing 32ft yacht which was due to arrive into Cork six days ago but cannot be contacted.

The Golden Eagle, which had two men on board, has not been heard from since it left Bermuda on August 21.

The Bermuda Coast Guard has said the yacht would have been sailing through an area of the Atlantic where the tail end of Hurricane Katia was still active.

One of the men on board is a 69-year-old from Norway, while the other is believed to be 60 and from New Zealand.

The men were due to arrive in Crookhaven, Co Cork, last Thursday.

The Coast Guard said the navy and air corps are involved in the search off the south-west coast, while ships in the mid-Atlantic have been asked to try to contact the yacht.

The Irish Coast Guard was notified by the Norwegian Coast Guard last Saturday after the 69-year- old’s family raised concerns.

The vessel is 32 feet (9.8m) long, white and with a blue trim on the side.

There has been no radio contact with the yacht since it left Bermuda but it is carrying a satellite linked electronic distress beacon known as an EPIRB.

However, this has not been activated and the boat has not sent out any distress call.

Coastguards in Norway, Bermuda and Ireland are now involved in co-ordinating the search operation.

An air corp aircraft and five naval vessels were involved in yesterday’s search which extended almost 320km south and west of the Cork coast.

“We have ships at sea and there are of course airborne maritime patrols ongoing anyway, so of course we will be very much on the lookout for any signs of this vessel, in accordance with the request from Valentia Coast Guard,” a defence forces spokesman said.

A spokesperson for Valencia Coast Guard Station said the attempts to locate the yacht would continue today.