Family Marooned After Yacht Strikes Reef

Marooned boat north of Elizabeth Reef. Photo supplied: BMA CQ Rescue

‍

By Zach Houtenville

‍

A family of four was winched to safety in an early morning helicopter rescue last weekend after their vessel ran aground on a Reef about 120 kilometres offshore.  

On the afternoon of 18th September, Gary Dorman and his family departed the Whitsundays aboard their yacht, setting off for a 30-to-36-hour passage to Herald Cays, about 180 nautical miles north, where they planned to anchor and explore the remote islands and reefs.  

‍

But at around 1am, while Gary kept watch, the voyage took a terrifying turn.

Despite the family’s electronic charts showing they were travelling through deep water, the yacht suddenly struck a reef north of Elizabeth Reef, coming to an abrupt stop before listing about 60 degrees onto its side.  

‍

“The first thing I noticed was that the dinghy had started to surf on white water, like a small wave, and then we came to a stop,” Gary said.

‍

“The boat listed to about 60 degrees because the keel was sitting on the reef, leaving it supported by the keel and the side of the hull.”

‍

The family placed a Mayday call via satellite phone and activated their emergency beacon, but what followed was six harrowing hours as waves repeatedly lifted the yacht and slammed it back onto the reef.

‍

“It’s a horrific sound, having the keel scrape along the rocky bottom of the ocean while the boat groans as it tries to stay together,” Gary said.

“For six hours, we were being thrown around by waves, as the boat would lift slightly as each wave hit, then fall onto its side again and be dragged along the bottom.”

‍

Gary praised the way his family remained calm during the ordeal, working together as a team to manage the situation until help arrived.  

“All three of them handled it remarkably,” Gary said.

‍

“They understood the gravity of the situation and knew we had to keep it together, work as a team and get each other through it.”

Within an hour of the distress call, a rescue vessel was launched from Airlie Beach, while an AMSA Challenger jet arrived soon after to monitor the stranded family from above.

‍

As daylight approached, the BMA CQ Rescue helicopter was dispatched from Mackay, reaching the yacht around sunrise as its condition continued to deteriorate.

With the mast and violent movement of the vessel making it too dangerous to approach directly, a rescue swimmer was lowered into the water before helping each family member reach the winch cable.

‍

“The rescue crew were absolutely fantastic, from the pilot and paramedic through to the rescue swimmer,” Gary said.

“One by one, she took my family from the boat. It would have been a lot more difficult if we had needed to be rescued from that reef by another vessel.”

‍

The family was winched to safety and, despite the ordeal, escaped relatively unscathed, other than Gary sustaining a minor head injury.

While grateful his family survived, Gary said the incident had raised serious concerns about the reliability of electronic navigational charts.

‍

He said the reef was missing from the electronic charts used aboard the yacht, which showed the family travelling through deep water when the vessel ran aground, and one he claims was visible on paper maps.

‍

“This was a known reef because it’s on the paper charts, but it’s not on the electronic charts,” Gary said.

“It’s unacceptable that, this close to mainland Australia, we have charts that are not showing hazardous terrain.”

‍

For Gary, ensuring those hazards are accurately mapped could prevent another family from enduring the same ordeal.  

‍