NINA POPE

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Swiss skipper sacrificed his life to save his crew

The skipper of the 'Nina Pope' has sacrificed his life two save the lives of the other two crew members on March 14. The three men had planned to sail for three weeks from Rio, Brazil, to Cape Town, when the 16-meter-long yacht, facing winds of nearly 100 km/h and eight meter high waves, when the hull was breached by what was thought to be a drifting container. The 72-year-old Swiss captain went down with the ship, while a 58-year-old Swiss man and a 38-year-old Brazilian were picked up by the 'Front Pollux', while they were drifting aboard an inflatable lifeboat off the coast of South Africa. The skipper had failed to board the life raft, but made sure before sinking that his two companions were safe and sound. A reflex which largely contributed to saving the lives of his two was that he slipped a satellite beacon into the inflatable raft which allowed the tanker to quickly locate the castaways. They were very touched by the disappearance of the Swiss captain, who was an experienced navigator, who was at the helm for 50 years and obtained an international license in 2000. Since his retirement, he has sailed the world's oceans aboard the "Nina Pope'.

Two crew members rescued by tanker, skipper presumed dead

Two crew members off the 'Nina Pope' were rescued and one is presumed drowned after the yacht sank about 2,400 kilometers southwest of Cape Town. They were rescued on March 14, 2024, from a life raft after swift intervention by South Africa’s Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre which requested a passing ship, the tanker 'Front Pollux' (IMO: 9780263), to divert its course to the yacht, which had been on its way to Cape Town from Tristan da Cunha. Despite challenging conditions, with winds up to 74 km/h and swells of up to eight metres, the tanker managed to recover two male survivors from the life raft. The German skipper of the yachht could not be saved and was presumed to have gone down with the vessel. The survivors, one with dual Swiss/US citizenship and the other Brazilian, have since communicated with their respective embassies in Cape Town, facilitated by the tanker. Both men did not require medical assistance and were currently en route to Cape Town. The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) emergency operations centre (EOC) will be assisting with their arrival early next week.