Flinders Island Race - two dead

8:22 PM Fri 9 Oct 2009 GMT
Two sailors have drowned and a rescue is underway off the coast of Wollongong this morning after a racing yacht ran aground. The yacht, reported as having twenty people on board was participating in the annual Cruising Yacht Club of Australia Blue Water Point Score 92 nautical mile race from Sydney to Flinders Island and back, which started at 20:00 on Friday night.

About 3am police and emergency services received a number of calls with regard to the yacht in distress off the coast of Wollongong.

Police say the yacht was taking part in the race when it ran aground on Flinders Island about 3:00am (AEDT).

Emergency officials received a number of distress calls and a short time later water police arrived and rescued a man from the water.

Two nearby yachts also assisted in the search for the remaining crew and pulled a 46-year-old man and a 50-year-old woman from the water. CPR was performed by people on board, however neither could be revived.

Eighteen other people managed to get on the island and have been winched by the ambulance rescue helicopter to Wollongong Hospital for treatment.

The ambulance service says the majority of them have minor injuries and are suffering from hypothermia.

by Sail-World.com

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