yacht crash australia

By SuperyachtNews 12 Aug 2019

Captain of 'Moatize' explains cause of Cairns marina crash

The 46m motoryacht crashed into a wharf in cairns after suffering from a technical fault….

Footage has emerged of the moment the 46m motoryacht Moatize crashed into a wharf in Cairns Marlin Marina after suffering from a technical fault. The captain and crew were able to respond to the situation in an appropriate manner and fortunately no one was hurt.

The incident occurred when the yacht was docking at the Cairns marina at around 6pm on Saturday night. The vessel only suffered cosmetic damage but collided with the pier very close to waterfront diners and, as a result, part of the marina and a nearby restaurant have closed while the site is restored.

Following the incident, local press interviewed  Moatize ’s captain about the cause of the crash and his response. “We came [into the marina] and did a tight turn… and our starboard gear was stuck ahead when I selected the go astern,” he told local news outlet The Daily Telegraph .

“We used the bow thruster to come over into a clear vision, went astern to exit the marina, but it was still going ahead at all times. We took control in the wheelhouse to try and see if it was a technical fault on the controls, but it was still going ahead again. So, we did what we’re trained to in collisions: we shut down all engines, dropped an anchor and thank God we selected a nice spot where there were no personnel.”

Regarding the damage caused to the boat and the affected infrastructure, he added; “I am not even worried about the money and neither is the owner. We are just making sure that everyone here is still functioning, that no one is put out, and there is no injury – that’s our only concern.”

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• Breaking News

Family of teen killed in boating incident on Australia Day breaks their silence

The father of Darcy Davey-Sutherland, who was killed when two boats collided on Australia Day, has broken his silence.

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Search continues for teen swept out to sea

A grieving father who lost his daughter in a tragic boating accident on Australia Day has broken his silence, saying his daughter will be remembered as “a beautiful soul” by friends and family.

Darcy Davey-Sutherland was killed when two small aluminium boats collided at Grays Point road ramp, about 30km south of Sydney’s CBD on Friday.

Her father, Michael Davey-Sutherland, told Nine News his daughter was “so full of life and love,” and was “the beacon of light within our family” in both the UK and Australia.

Mr Davey-Sutherland said “it’s impossible to comprehend life without her”.

“She was about to embark on the most special part of life as she stepped into adulthood,” he said.

“Words cannot describe the pain we feel at the moment.”

Paramedics were called to the scene about 10.30am following reports a 16-year-old girl was seriously injured in a crash involving two boats.

Members of the public had pulled Ms Davey-Sutherland from the water before a Toll Ambulance rescue chopper winched in a doctor and critical care paramedic to assist her.

She was taken in a critical condition to St George Hospital, where she later died.

A GoFundMe page set up to help the Davey-Sutherland family has already seen more than $40,000 raised in 24 hours.

Friends and family have shared how devastated they are about the 16-year-old’s death in tributes posted online.

“Will forever love you. You will forever be missed my beautiful angel, I will never forget our time together,” one friend said.

“I will miss you so much Darc, I feel like I’ve lost a part of me ,” another said.

Ms Davey-Sutherland had been wearing a lifejacket at the time of the crash.

It’s understood members of the public found her face down in the water and performed CPR on the teenager until paramedics arrived.

More Coverage

NSW Police have since seized the two tinnies for examination and an investigation into the circumstance surrounding this incident has commenced.

Following the crash, two 16-year-old boys were also taken to the same hospital for mandatory testing.

A report will be prepared for the Coroner.

The NRL admits there’s been a spike in penalties for high tackles but those at league headquarters are adamant it’s not part of their plan.

Two people will likely be deported after being caught running a scam putting card-reading devices into the card slots of ATMs.

A desperate search for a teen swept out to sea has been hampered by “dangerous weather”.

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Below Deck Sailing Yacht ’s Boat Crash Was Worse Than It Looked in All Those Clips

The collision between Gary and Daisy during the Below Deck Sailing Yacht crew ’s day off had nothing on what was to come. May 10’s episode finally brought the boat crash that Below Deck Sailing Yacht had been teasing since before the season started, and somehow, it was even worse than it seemed in all those clips. The problems began on a particularly windy morning, hours before the crew needed to pick up guests for their next charter. Soon after deckhand Sydney Zaruba noticed the wind was turning the boat, the stern started scraping against the dock. To get away, the crew had to unplug the yacht from shore power on the dock — which became a problem of its own once the boat was away from the dock, but unable to move in the wind. With chief engineer Colin Macrae off the boat on some chief-engineer business, first mate Gary King had to figure out Parsifal III ’s generator system to get the yacht power. But their worries didn’t end once Gary got power to the boat — the deck crew then had to get the anchors up after they’d been dragging. And you thought sailing was stressful!

After the yacht got safely away from the dock, the crew surveyed the boat’s scratches. “It could’ve been a lot more serious damage,” Captain Glenn Shepard said in a confessional. “Like a season-ending kind of damage.” “Someone could lose their life in a situation like this,” reflected deckhand Jean-Luc Cerza-Lanaux. And once Colin got back on board, he added that “it would’ve been a totally different situation” if Gary hadn’t been able to turn on the generator. “I think Gary saved our ass.”

As it turned out, though, the crew wasn’t out of the woods. When they headed back to the dock to pick up guests, they ran into more issues with the strong winds. “Here we go again, with the wind blowing us into the dock,” Gary said in a confessional. “We literally cannot catch a break.” As the crew began docking the boat, Parsifal III ’s bow thrusters stopped working in the wind — sending the boat right into the dock for a second time, in the even-worse crash that we saw in the season’s trailer.

Will this one be the “season-ending kind of damage” Captain Glenn talked about? While the episode closes on a particularly stressful “To be continued …” Glenn shared on a pre-season Reddit AMA that it still “could have been a lot worse. “A repair like that would probably run $10k-$20k,” he wrote, adding that the boat already needed to be repainted. “That is always covered by insurance,” he added. “The boats are well insured.”

• below deck sailing yacht

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What we know so far about Sea World helicopter crash on the Gold Coast

By Antonia O'Flaherty

Topic: Air and Space Accidents and Incidents

Specialist investigators are examining the wreckage of two helicopters that collided in mid-air on the Gold Coast to determine how the tragedy that killed four people unfolded.

The two aircraft, operated by Sea World Helicopters, were conducting joy flights over the Broadwater near the theme park on the New Year's Day public holiday when they crashed into each other.

Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) personnel are now sifting through the wreckage, analysing footage of the collision and interviewing witnesses and operators, to determine what led to the crash.

Here's what we know about the crash.

How did the crash happen?

What caused the two helicopters to collide mid-air is still to be determined but ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said the crash occurred below 150 metres in the air about 2pm on Monday.

He said one helicopter carrying seven people was taking off and the other helicopter with six people on board was landing at the time of the crash.

The main rotors of the helicopter taking off collided with the landing helicopter and caused "considerable damage" to its front section.

Four people were killed in the collision, including the pilot of one of the choppers. ( AAP: Dave Hunt )

It caused the main rotor blades and gearbox to separate from the ascending aircraft, which then crashed down onto the sandbar.

Mr Mitchell said it was remarkable that the second helicopter had been able to land upright.

The ATSB says the take off and the landing are "critical phases of flight" where the "cognitive load of pilots is at their greatest".

What do we know about the victims?

Helicopter pilot Ash Jenkinson (left) with friend Andrew Taylor. ( Supplied: Andrew Taylor )

The pilot of the helicopter that was taking off and three adult passengers were killed in the crash. 

Sea World Helicopters pilot Ashley Jenkinson , New South Wales woman Vanessa Tadros and UK couple Diane and Ron Hughes were killed in the mid-air collision on Monday afternoon.

Three passengers remain in hospital : Geelong woman Winnie De Silva, 33, and her son, Leon, 9, were critically injured, along with Ms Tadros's son Nicholas, 10.

Diane and Ron Hughes died in the helicopter crash on the Gold Coast. ( Facebook: Diane Hughes )

Passengers were taking flights over the Broadwater, which was also crowded with boats. ( AAP: Dave Hunt )

Queensland Police Acting Inspector Mike Campbell said one of the deceased people was related to one of the survivors.

Three more people were critically injured, which police said include a mother and son and another child.

Thirty-three-year-old Geelong woman Winnie De Silva and her nine-year-old son were critically injured, along with a 10-year-old boy from New South Wales. All three remain in hospital . 

Winnie De Silva and her son Leon were seriously injured in the crash. ( Supplied )

How will authorities determine what happened?

Mr Mitchell said the ATSB is gathering all the intelligence and evidence it can, including vision from the helicopters, passenger footage and witness accounts.

He thanked community members who came forward with camera footage and CCTV from buildings so investigators could piece together what occurred.

"What we do need to know now is what was occurring inside the two cockpits at the time," Mr Mitchell said.

"We do have multiple accounts from witnesses and as I said, of video, but equally we'll get what we can from those two helicopters to try and get a better picture of what was occurring but also what were the processes in place that are designed to actually protect helicopters in this situation.

"We know it's a busy time of year, we know helicopters are in and out of that Sea World helipad constantly throughout the day so we'll certainly be looking at multiple lines of inquiry here around the procedures that were in place and potentially what has helped contribute to such a tragic outcome today."

The helicopters have been removed from the sandbar and taken ashore where ATSB investigators will get a better appreciation about what's occurred and the forces that are in play, Mr Mitchell said.

Anyone who witnessed the collision has been asked to come forward.

How did bystanders react?

Witnesses to the confronting scenes on the Broadwater were among the first responders to the scene, rushing to the aid of the helicopter passengers.

Acting Inspector Campbell said people were using their private boats to take people across to the island to reach the victims to render first aid.

Witness John Hunt told the ABC  he feared one of the helicopters would crash on top of the crowd at Sea World. 

Another witness Amii McDermott said she could hear the engine of one of the helicopters starting to rev "like the pilot was taking some sort of emergency action".

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What support is in place?

Acting Inspector Campbell said there are family support measures in place.

Village Roadshow Theme Parks, which runs Sea World, said they were providing support to "team members who have been emotionally affected by the tragedy".

• Australia News

Girl, 16, dies after being rushed to hospital with critical injuries following Australia Day boat crash in Sydney's south

A teenage girl has died after suffering serious injuries following a two-boat collision on a popular waterway in Sydney’s south on Australia Day.

A teenage girl has died after two boats collided near Grays Point in Sydney’s south on Friday.

Emergency services were called to the boat ramp near Swallow Rock at about 10:15am after reports two aluminium vessels had crashed.

It is understood members of the public found a 16-year-old girl face down in the water and performed CPR. 

She was pulled from the water as paramedics arrived on scene via a rescue helicopter and immediately began treating her for serious injuries. 

Distraught witnesses were comforted by police officers as they waited near the boat ramp for news on the 16-year-old's condition. 

She was later taken to St George Hospital where she died.

Two other teenage boys, both aged 16, where also taken to the facility to undergo mandatory testing.

Police have seized the two vessels involved in the crash for examination.

An investigation has been launched into the circumstances surrounding the incident.       

The boat ramp in Swallow's Rock Reserve is a popular launching spot for boast, kayaks and canoes on the Port Hacking River. 

A report will be prepared for the Coroner.

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Local news:

Woman mauled by tiger at Dreamworld

‘skipper’ of dinghy critically injured when he crashes it into anchored yacht on gold coast.

Man impaled through the head by piece of wood in boating crash

A man is set to undergo surgery to remove a piece of wood that became “impaled” in his head when he crashed a dinghy into an anchored yacht on the Gold Coast .

The 47-year-old local man was travelling between Sovereign Island and Paradise Point when he crashed into the yacht near The Esplanade about 3.30pm on Sunday.

“It looks like this dinghy was certainly travelling at a rate of knots,” Acting Superintendent Scott Knowles told ABC radio on Monday.

“And there is some indication, at this stage, that alcohol’s been involved in this incident.”

Two men, aged 41 and 56, also aboard the dinghy escaped injury.

The injured man, who police said was the “skipper” of the dinghy when it crashed, was “impaled” by the “large piece of wood” that went “in through his head, in behind his eye”, Knowles said.

The trio arrived at the dock when they asked an off-duty doctor there to help remove the piece of wood, according to Knowles.

“(They) indicated they wanted to remove it then and there, at the scene,” he said.

“Thankfully the doctor was able to intervene ... and said, ‘This is not the time and place to be starting to remove that piece wood’.”

The man was taken Gold Coast University Hospital with what paramedics described as a “life-threatening” injury.

He remains in a critical condition on Monday and is set to undergo surgery to remove the foreign object from his head later in the day.

The two other men in the dinghy “scurried off” from the scene, Knowles said, but have since been found and are being questioned by police.

No one was aboard the yacht at the time.

Police are seeking the owners to alert them to the “significant” damage to the yacht, Knowles said.

A blood sample has been taken from the injured man to establish if he was drunk at the time of the crash.

Investigations continue.

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