Perfect day turned into night of terror for sailors

The three sailors in their 60s and 70s were clinging to the side of their boat when they saw an island come into view.

What had started out as a perfect day for sailing off the West Cork coast had all gone horribly wrong.

That morning, the skies were blue and there was a gusty wind but, at around 6pm, something happened, possibly a sudden squall, to capsize their yacht in Roaring Water Bay.

Following the best advice, the three friends, all in lifejackets and experienced sailors, stayed with the small open-deck sailing boat after it overturned. However, it is believed as the Drascombe Lugger continued to drift, they decided to make a dash for Castle Island.

Two of them, a husband and wife, succeeded, but Doug Perrin, 66, who owned the yacht, couldn’t make it and was found dead about 12 hours later off Sherkin Island.

His crew members and friends scrambled on to land and made it on to a cliff-top where they spent a terrifying night.

The trio had been expected back on land at 7pm and when they didn’t return, Doug Perrin’s wife, Judith, raised the alarm at 9pm.

Directed by the Coast Guard, the Schull and Baltimore lifeboats, the Customs Boat, the Navy and Toe Head Coast Guard all took to the water beginning a search of the area between Long Island in the West and Horse Island in the East and extending South through Roaring Water Bay.

The lifeboats continued searching as darkness fell until the search was stood down after midnight. At 5.30am, the volunteers were back out on the water, and shortly afterwards, the Schull Lifeboat found the elderly couple conscious but suffering from hypothermia on a cliff-top on the north west of the island.

It is believed that the Shannon- based Helicopter Rescue flew over the island several times on Wednesday night but couldn’t see the sailors as they tried to keep warm on higher ground.

After a medical assessment by members of the inshore lifeboat crew, the Shannon-based Helicopter Rescue 117 lifted the couple and brought them to Baltimore before their transfer to Bantry General Hospital. It is understood they suffered minor injuries.

About two hours later, the Baltimore lifeboat, with Youen Jacob at the helm, was searching waters about 300 yards from Sherkin Island when John Kearney and Ryan O’Mahony spotted a lifejacket. It was Doug Perrin.

Mr Perrin was taken to the station at Bullpoint where he was pronounced dead by RNLI medical adviser Don Creagh. He was taken to Cork University Hospital, where an autopsy was due to take place last night.

Yesterday, Mr Jacob said the sailors had been “very unlucky”, as the lugger is normally well suited to the waters around Schull and the islands. He also said the three friends were unlucky that nobody had seen the boat capsize or capsized, as the waters around West Cork are dotted with sailing boats throughout August — and especially during the current sunny spell. He described the twin-masted boat as “safe” and built for day-sailing in inshore areas. Just last week, there was a Drascombe Lugger rally in West Cork and 20-30 of them were sailing off Schull.

It is understood that the boat was in perfect condition and there were no signs of any mechanical problems.

“What starts out as a nice sailing day can change very quickly. Along comes cloud and then the wind increases and that boat could have just capsized,” said Baltimore Coxwain, Kieran Cotter.