Two dead after West Australian 50fter capsizes

Finistere is a well raced Davidson 50 and completed three Sydney Hobarts © The West Australian

Two West Australian sailors are dead and several others deeply traumatised after a well-known WA yacht overturned in windy seas off Mandurah, south of Fremantle. Wind in the area was 20-25kts.

Police are still trying to piece together what happened to Finistere, a three-time Sydney to Hobart offshore racer/cruiser owned and skippered by popular yachtsman and Fremantle Sailing Club Vice Commodore Rob Thomas, late on Friday.

The Davidson 50, which took part in the annual Bunbury and Return Ocean Race that started six hours earlier off Fremantle, was a regular participant in the Geographe Bay Race Week and the Geraldton Ocean Classic and has sailed around Australia.

It is believed Finistere’s crew of six were experienced sailors. It is also understood the vessel’s keel separated from the hull, which caused it to turn over quickly.

Police are expected to release the names of the dead sometime tomorrow after formal identification and relatives are informed. They are in their 60s and 70s.

The drama began when one of the crew let off their distress beacon just before midnight as the yacht — one of a small fleet heading south — was about 11 nautical miles south-west of Mandurah.

The signal was picked up by the Australian Marine Safety Authority in Canberra, which then unsuccessfully attempted to contact the boat via radio.

Two crew died after the 50ft yacht Finistere capsized - photo © mandurahmail.com.au

When Finistere’s tracker failed to update itself 15 minutes later, AMSA then contacted Fremantle Water Police and the RAC Rescue helicopter, which was fortuitously conducting training exercises in the area.

It arrived on the scene within 30 minutes.

It found Finistere upside down and semi-submerged.

Two other yachts taking part in the Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club-hosted event, Huckleberry and Fourth Dimension, were diverted to the scene and arrived a short time later and between the two boats, five of the six crew were dragged aboard. It is understood a female crew member was trapped inside at the time it capsized but she was rescued.

Four surviving sailors were not seriously hurt, one of the men who was dragged on to one of the two rescue yachts was dead. A sixth crew member could not be found at the time but was found after an air/sea search at 12.30pm the following day.

RFBYC Commodore Dean McAullay said it was too early to speculate about how Finistere overturned. He said it was a Category 3 race, meaning all the sailors had personal beacons on them that would set off a signal when they hit the water.

By the rules, they should have been wearing life jackets and been tethered to the yacht.

For the full story and further update/video see The West Australian