Crewman lost in yacht capsize

The 35ft racing yacht Hooligan V lost her keel off the south Devon coast on Saturday morning

In the early hours of Saturday morning, the Max Fun 35 racing yacht Hooligan V capsized off the South Devon coast, resulting in the loss of one of her five crew.

At 0400 on Saturday morning Brixham Coastguard received several reports of a flare being spotted in an area seven miles south of Start Point. The coastguard dispatched several 'rescue units' to the scene including helicopters from RAF Chivenor and RNAS Culdrose, the all-weather lifeboats from Salcombe and Torbay as well as vessels on the scene, the Gerd Sibum, Happy Lady and the RFA Wave Knight.The Type 32 frigate HMS Portland also responded to the flare.

At the time conditions were reported on the scene as gusting to 25 knots from the east, while it was blowing 16-22 knots off nearby Berry Head.

Between 0555 and 0600 the merchant vessel Laar, recovered a liferaft with four crew from Hooligan V with one crewman at the time unaccounted for. The fifth crewman, was found in the water, already dead, by Salcombe lifeboat at 06:40.

Hooligan V had been on passage from Plymouth east and had capsized when her keel had fallen off. The incident occurred not far from where the stricken container ship MSC Napoli is beached in Lyme Bay, leading to conjecture about the yacht having struck a submerged container, or other flotsam from the Napoli. However a Duty Officer at Brixham Coastguard told thedailysail that this was unlikely. "Information coming from the casualties it appears they were making a sailing manouevre when the vessel overturned. The keel is no longer with the vessel and there is no other damage to the hull from photos and on scene units."

A team from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch are on their way to Devon to undertake a preliminary investigation.

The surviving four crew were transferred by rescue helicopter from RNAS Culdrose and to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth where they were met by Plymouth Coastguard, police and paramedics. Having been in the water and then the liferaft for two hours the crew were suffering from hypothermia and were treated for that.

Meanwhile Torbay liferaft attempted to receover the upturned hull of Hooligan V but were unable to do so when they broke their tow line. A naval warship has this morning located the vessel again.

Hooligan Five is owned and skippered by Royal Southampton Yacht Club Member Ed Broadway. The crew who were on board have not been named as yet, but the dead crewman is reported to have been in his 20s. Broadway is an experienced racing sailor and in December 2006 was awarded the RORC IRM Trophy for ‘consistant high performance in the IRM Association’s offshore programme’. Broadway, with crew Ian White won Class One Monohulls in last year’s Shetland Round Britain and Ireland Race.

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