1 minute read
Missing at sea
ON Thursday, June 29 a missing yacht was found off the coast of Cork, Ireland, but tragically its skipper Duncan Lougee was not to be found, reported a news source.
The boat was sighted around 120 kilometres drifting aimlessly off the coast of east Cork. Upon investigation by the Coast Guard, no one was found on board. Lougee had set off from England and had remained uncontactable for 10 days.
The vessel had set off from Plymouth on June 18 and was already seven days overdue from its expected arrival into west Cork, a distance of about 250 nautical miles. On Thursday the Irish Coast Guard was alerted to a sighting of the missing Minke yacht.
A Coast Guard helicopter R117, based in Waterford was rallied to the boat’s location, about 75 miles southeast of Ballycotton. Upon arrival, a crew member from R117 boarded the vessel and searched for signs of life.
A visual check confirmed that the missing sailor, Duncan Lougee, was nowhere on board. The operation comes under the jurisdiction of the UK Search and Rescue Region, which was coordinating the search.
The missing sailor had been taking part in the ‘Jester Challenge,’ a singlehanded event for Ply mouth to Baltimore via the Isles of Scilly. It has been reported that all other participants have been accounted for.
