Africa-Press – Mozambique. Australian sailor Deirdre “Cookie” Sibly and French sailor Pascal Mahe have been found dead on board the yacht Acteon while travelling through the Mozambique Channel between Madagascar and Mozambique.
The pair, both described by relatives and friends as highly capable mariners, had left Reunion Island in June with the intention of reaching South Africa, stopping in Durban before continuing to Cape Town.
Family members said the alarm was raised late last week when a distress signal was transmitted from the yacht. According to Sibly’s sister, Sue Good, speaking to the Guardian Australia, a nearby cargo vessel responded and notified French authorities after attempting without success to make contact with those on board.
She told the newspaper that the ship’s crew approached the drifting yacht but could not safely board, prompting two additional vessels to assist. Sailors from one of those vessels eventually managed to get onto Acteon, where they discovered the bodies of a man and a woman.
“I had a call from [the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade] at about 10am Friday morning, that’s when they told me someone was able to board the yacht and a man and woman had been found deceased,” Good tells the outlet. She also said that “there was no sign of life on the boat” when the first responding ship attempted to make contact.
She tells ABC Adelaide: “We’re just devastated; she’d been away sailing with Pascal since early June … she was so happy.”
As of Monday, Good said the yacht remained adrift under sail and was being monitored, and she notes that a family member may have to travel to Africa for formal identification. “We would like answers to lots of questions, and the next thing is to get her back here,” she said, acknowledging that repatriation could take “months”.
Speaking to 9News, Good adds that the Mozambique Channel “isn’t a very safe place in the world to be sailing” and that her sister “knew that.”
Some relatives have suggested to media that piracy might be a possible explanation, given the region’s history of maritime crime. Authorities, however, have not confirmed any link, and investigations remain ongoing.
The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has said it is “providing consular assistance to the family of an Australian missing in the Mozambique channel”. A spokesperson adds: “Our thoughts are with the family at this distressing time. Owing to our privacy obligations we are unable to provide further comment.”
Officials in South Africa, Mauritius and France are coordinating with authorities in the region as inquiries continue. The yacht, a French-registered 50-footer, is still understood to be adrift while arrangements are made for its recovery and for the continuation of the investigation.
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