The South African registered yacht Sea Jade left St Helena Island on 4 April with one crewmember on board. It was bound for either Walvis Bay or Cape Town, depending on the weather. When the yacht was 3 days overdue for its arrival at Walvis Bay, concerned family members reported it to the Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) Cape Town.
The MRCC Cape Town broadcast a Safety Net message for all shipping in the area to keep a look out for the Sea Jade.
On Wednesday the 29 April the vessel Amalia observed the Sea Jade adrift at sea 450 miles South of St Helena Island. There were no signs of life onboard.
There was no response to calls on VHF or ships whistle. Due to bad weather the Amalia could not launch a lifeboat to investigate. The MRCC Cape Town instructed the Amalia to stay on the scene until the weather improved and it was safe to board the yacht.
The Captain of the Amalia reported that they had been within 5 meters of the yacht and three attempts had been made to board had been unsuccessful due to worsening weather conditions.
The Captain abandoned further attempts to board the yacht. The crew had thrown objects against the yacht in order to provoke a response but there had been no reaction or any signs of life on the vessel.
Both vessels were rolling heavily, making any attempts to make physical contact extremely difficult and hazardous to the crew.
The Master of the AMALIA requested permission to proceed with their voyage and was released on Friday as the weather conditions was making any attempts to board the yacht extremely hazardous for the crew..
The MRCC Cape Town requested another vessel that was in the area, the bulk carrier Friendly Seas, to proceed to the yacht in the hope that the weather conditions would improve thereby allowing the boarding of the vessel to take place and allow for a search of the yacht. The Friendly Seas arrived at 9.30am on Saturday 2nd MAY. The crew managed to board the yacht and after an extensive search could not find any signs of life onboard. The vessel was released to continue on its voyage and the required navigational warnings were issued.
The family was informed of the situation and they are making arrangements to recover the yacht.
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