Rescue crews near solo Gold Coast sailor Xavier Doerr stranded in Great Australian Bight
Nerve-wracking rescue mission en route for solo sailor, 22, stranded overnight in the Great Australian Bight while battling six-metre waves and 100-mph winds
- Sailor Xavier Doerr, 22, is stranded at sea
- He sent out a distress signal at around 5 p.m. on Friday
- He is trapped in dangerous conditions in the south of Australia
A solo sailor has spent the night battling giant waves and high winds in the Great Australian Bight after running into trouble hundreds of miles from aid.
Xavier Doerr, 22, was forced to activate a distress beacon while attempting a non-stop, unassisted circumnavigation of Australia.
His planned route is said to have broken two records, also making him the youngest sailor to circumnavigate Australia on the smallest boat.
Authorities established radio and visual contact with Mr Doerr by air after picking up a distress beacon signal shortly before 5pm on Friday.
Two merchant ships have been diverted to the location of the 6.5-meter sailing yacht, about 630 kilometers west of Kangaroo Island in South Australia and 740 kilometers south-east of Esperance, Western Australia.
Solo sailor Xavier Doerr (above) is stranded at sea 630km west of Kangaroo Island in South Australia and 740km southeast of Esperance in Western Australia
Wind gusts of more than 100 kilometers per hour and waves of six meters are expected to make rescue difficult, even after the ships made contact for some time on Saturday.
Aerial footage showed Mr Doerr’s stranded yacht being tossed about by large waves with the sails bundled on deck.
Doerr’s coastal manager, Lee Randall, said in a video on Saturday that the sailor lost communication for an extended period of time yesterday afternoon.
“At that point he had some injuries and some water had gotten into the boat, and he genuinely feared for his safety,” Randall said.
“AMSA (Australian Maritime Safety Authority) has now made direct contact with Xavier from the plane, from a jet dispatched from Perth, and they are currently tracking him and will continue to do so until he reaches dry land.”
Two AMSA challenge class rescue aircraft hovered over their heads overnight and communicated with Mr. Doerr via VHF radio.
An RAAF aircraft also arrived at the ship’s location on Saturday.
Mr Doerr’s coastal manager, Lee Randall, said the deckhand “suffered some injuries” before setting off his distress beacon shortly before 5pm on Friday.
AMSA sent out an emergency broadcast and diverted a bulk carrier to the area, with the ship expected to arrive around 11:30 a.m. (AEST).
Another bulk carrier is also on its way to the location.
According to AMSA, the ship’s captains will have to assess their ability to safely conduct a rescue in extremely rough weather conditions.