Irishwoman killed in yacht accident named
Ms Daly was with her husband PJ Daly and a Scottish man George Mills, 61, when the yacht they were sailing capsized.
Mr Daly managed to get to the shore to raise the alarm but his wife and Mr Mills died.
The yacht ran aground and broke up up along the shore on the west coast of Cape Town in the early hours of Monday morning. Ms Daly and Mr Mills were both pronounced dead at the scene.
The National Sea Rescue Institute received reports that a yacht had capsized between Bokpunt and Gansekraal on the Western Cape just after 4.30am on Monday.
Sea rescue crafts responded along with a police dive unit but the yacht was discovered broken up among rocks on the shore.
The institute said it was not known what had caused the yacht to hit the rocks and whether it had capsized before running aground.
In a statement, the institute and the emergency services expressed their “sincerest condolences” to the families and friends of Ms Daly and Mr Mills.
The Department of Foreign Affairs has confirmed it is liaising with relatives of Ms Daly, who had been living in the Western Cape for years.
“The department is aware of the death of an Irish citizen in the Western Cape and consular assistance is being provided,” a spokesman said.
Mr Mills is understood to have been a long-term member of the Royal Cape Yacht Club and owned the 14m yacht Tara.
Marina manager Joshio Fisher said: “The owner has been a member for a long time. We have had the burgee, the club’s flag, at half-mast.
“The club has got a very tight sailing community. Club members do make use of the restaurant and the bar facilities.
“This owner used to be quite well-known within the club. It’s been quite a dramatic incident for the club,” he said.
He said the yacht had left the club’s marina for Port Owen, further up the west coast, and then returned, making one stop, before hitting the rocks.
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