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A yacht being towed back to Mossel Bay after the body of a 60-year-old sailor was found on board has sunk.
The National Sea Rescue Institute said the vessel took on water and went down about 12 nautical miles from Mossel Bay on Sunday.
Spokesperson, Craig Lambinon, said the body of the solo sailor was located on Saturday on board the damaged yacht which was adrift at sea.
He said arrangements were made for the yacht to be towed to Stilbaai where Police Detectives would board the vessel and recover the body of the sailor in cooperation with WC Government Health Forensic Pathology Services.
Lambinon said while an NSRI crew was towing the yacht towards Stilbaai, weather conditions deteriorated and the tow was released.
He said further arrangements were made for NSRI Mossel Bay to respond in the early hours of Sunday, to establish a towline and tow the yacht to Mossel Bay, but while en route “the yacht took on water and sunk approximately 12 nautical miles from Mossel Bay.”
Lambinon said the SA Police Services and the Police Dive Unit are assessing the possibility of recovering the body of the sailor from the sunken yacht.
The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Cape Town said it had previously been made aware of a sailor onboard the Panacea that had departed Cape Town on Friday the 12th of August and was headed to Mossel Bay.
After three days of no contact with his family, the sailor's mother informed MRCC that she was concerned however not overly so, as her son was reportedly in no immediate rush to reach Mossel Bay.
MRCC Cape Town sent out a maritime alert and on Friday 19 August, a report from a passing vessel was received that it had sighted the vessel.
