Maiden voyage cat dismasted in Bass Strait - rescue paramedic injured

by BW Media roundup on 27 Apr 2009 Bass Strait's infamous seas have claimed another yacht. Four crew were aboard the 50ft home-built catamaran on its maiden voyage when it was dismasted in 14 metre seas 90 miles south-east of Sale in Victoria yesterday.

After setting off an emergency beacon they were winched off the yacht, but a paramedic was injured in the process.

It was Ambulance Victoria's Latrobe Valley-based helicopter that responded to the call after the EPIRB signal was received. They found the yacht in fading light around 1700 hours when the rescue air lift began, in horrendous conditions.

Intensive care flight paramedic Nick Roder said the crew had 'realised the heaving seas and deteriorating conditions could destroy their 50-foot vessel.'

'Ambulance Victoria helicopter pilot Peter Elliott and crewman Bart Bretheton did a great job in getting me over the vessel, so I could be winched on board in very challenging conditions,' Mr Roder said. 'The waves were about 14 metres high, there were high winds, and we only had a small window to winch the four from into the helicopter before dark.

'Safety of the helicopter crew was paramount - so we had to be safe but swift.'

The four, aged between 30 and 65, were winched into the helicopter and flown to the East Sale RAAF base, and transferred to the Sale hospital, with one of the crew suffering from hypothermia. They were otherwise unhurt.

However, the leg of one of the paramedics was hurt as the fourth crew member was winched from the boat, and he was taken to Traralgon Hospital for treatment.

Ambulance Victoria spokesman John Mullen said 'Apparently the vessel was on its maiden voyage and the skipper built the yacht himself.'

Acting Sergeant Tony Wilson from Gippsland Water Police had the last word.

'We were tasked to that job yesterday and we got about three or four mile offshore and the conditions were horrific,' he said, 'So I can only just imagine what it was like out in the 14 metre seas where the yacht was.

He says people need to pay attention to the weather forecast before heading out to sea.