Sad story of people dying when assisting a yacht near Ballina. Large swells and a yacht in distress needing assistance. It is tragic when volunteers lose their lives assisting us. www.9news.com.au/national/ballina-boating-accident-three-dead-search-under-way-after-northern-nsw-boating-tragedy/974d7967-1138-4fdb-8b99-f8bc374c4a43
Condolences to the family , and friends of the deceased . As a lifelong passionate boater , I have a strong sense of appreciation for what the men , and women of Marine Rescue give of themselves to the boating public X
Brad Geyer
This was a tragic event for the Rescue Association. What I find strange is the lack of information about the 54-year-old yachtsman who lost his life and any details on his yacht. We don't know whether he was entering or leaving. The Australian media seems to have lost the ability to report anything that represents news! So far, all I have heard is that the yacht will be recovered.
ballinanewsdaily.com.au/2026/05/why-was-the-yacht-even-there-police-hunt-for-answers-after-bar-tragedy/
Reported to be crossing the bar at (around ) 6 pm.
Sunset was 5;08 pm.
Select to expand quoteRamona said..
This was a tragic event for the Rescue Association. What I find strange is the lack of information about the 54-year-old yachtsman who lost his life and any details on his yacht. We don't know whether he was entering or leaving. The Australian media seems to have lost the ability to report anything that represents news! So far, all I have heard is that the yacht will be recovered.
I don't think the media are at fault, they can only report what is known. Apparently the yacht sank, so entirely likely, given no distress call from the sailor, the name of the yacht or any other identifying details wont yet be known. Reported that divers are going to go down, so more may be discovered by them. Also unknown, if he didn't log his intentions, is whether he was coming or going. It's possible family or friends may yet come forward with information about him and his boat, but again the media cannot report what is not yet known, and if they are not chasing up his family and/or friends to find out more, that's OK with me. No doubt more detail will come out in official investigations as they are done and in the coroner's report when that is done.
A tragic accident indeed. Lots of community support for the families & VMR. Some calls for dredging the bar, but I can't see that happening. IMHO education for coastal operations is overdue. I'm not saying the yachtsman had no idea & could have been caught out, but most of these sort of incidents happen because of poor planning.
Select to expand quotegarymalmgren said..
ballinanewsdaily.com.au/2026/05/why-was-the-yacht-even-there-police-hunt-for-answers-after-bar-tragedy/
Reported to be crossing the bar at (around ) 6 pm.
Sunset was 5;08 pm.
Thanks for that Gary. The yachtsman not wearing a lifejacket while crossing the bar might indicate he was not from NSW or was unaware of the rules. The compulsory wearing of lifejackets crossing a bar in NSW might also account for the rescue crew members that were trapped in the rescue vessel. Professional fishermen in NSW do not have to wear life jackets crossing a bar for this very reason! When I was fishing and had to cross a bar in difficult conditions, I made the deckhands stand on the back deck while I steered the boat standing next to an open door. The rescue boat in this case is similar to one of our local ones with the door at the rear of the cabin. Even when uninflated, those buoyancy vests have a lot of buoyancy.
Select to expand quoteQuixotic said..Ramona said..
This was a tragic event for the Rescue Association. What I find strange is the lack of information about the 54-year-old yachtsman who lost his life and any details on his yacht. We don't know whether he was entering or leaving. The Australian media seems to have lost the ability to report anything that represents news! So far, all I have heard is that the yacht will be recovered.
I don't think the media are at fault, they can only report what is known. Apparently the yacht sank, so entirely likely, given no distress call from the sailor, the name of the yacht or any other identifying details wont yet be known. Reported that divers are going to go down, so more may be discovered by them. Also unknown, if he didn't log his intentions, is whether he was coming or going. It's possible family or friends may yet come forward with information about him and his boat, but again the media cannot report what is not yet known, and if they are not chasing up his family and/or friends to find out more, that's OK with me. No doubt more detail will come out in official investigations as they are done and in the coroner's report when that is done.
The knowledge I have from the local crew is the boat name was Orion and was a small, and looked to be live aboard, 20ft trailer sailer that I saw when we walk the dogs most morning tied to the pontoon behind the Calypso caravan park Yamba for many months. It did appear to be In a condition that wasn't seaworthy but I never had the chance to look inside. It appeared to be early 80s / late 70s and narrow with large Perspex windows each side of the cabin. Certainly not something I'd personally be crossing a bar in weather. He did well to get out from Yamba in the morning. I was surfing that day and was a good 6ft with exposed areas larger and the bar wasn't pretty.
No VMR was contacted prior to departure or voyage logged according to updates.
Select to expand quotesaltiest1 said..Quixotic said..Ramona said..
This was a tragic event for the Rescue Association. What I find strange is the lack of information about the 54-year-old yachtsman who lost his life and any details on his yacht. We don't know whether he was entering or leaving. The Australian media seems to have lost the ability to report anything that represents news! So far, all I have heard is that the yacht will be recovered.
I don't think the media are at fault, they can only report what is known. Apparently the yacht sank, so entirely likely, given no distress call from the sailor, the name of the yacht or any other identifying details wont yet be known. Reported that divers are going to go down, so more may be discovered by them. Also unknown, if he didn't log his intentions, is whether he was coming or going. It's possible family or friends may yet come forward with information about him and his boat, but again the media cannot report what is not yet known, and if they are not chasing up his family and/or friends to find out more, that's OK with me. No doubt more detail will come out in official investigations as they are done and in the coroner's report when that is done.
The knowledge I have from the local crew is the boat name was Orion and was a small, and looked to be live aboard, 20ft trailer sailer that I saw when we walk the dogs most morning tied to the pontoon behind the Calypso caravan park Yamba for many months. It did appear to be In a condition that wasn't seaworthy but I never had the chance to look inside. It appeared to be early 80s / late 70s and narrow with large Perspex windows each side of the cabin. Certainly not something I'd personally be crossing a bar in weather. He did well to get out from Yamba in the morning. I was surfing that day and was a good 6ft with exposed areas larger and the bar wasn't pretty.
No VMR was contacted prior to departure or voyage logged according to updates.
Thanks for that.
I'm not surprised if that is the case, that boat has been in the river for years, has changed hands a few times. There's an issue with move on orders, I really hope that's not background story.
Select to expand quoteRamona said..garymalmgren said..
ballinanewsdaily.com.au/2026/05/why-was-the-yacht-even-there-police-hunt-for-answers-after-bar-tragedy/
Reported to be crossing the bar at (around ) 6 pm.
Sunset was 5;08 pm.
Thanks for that Gary. The yachtsman not wearing a lifejacket while crossing the bar might indicate he was not from NSW or was unaware of the rules. The compulsory wearing of lifejackets crossing a bar in NSW might also account for the rescue crew members that were trapped in the rescue vessel. Professional fishermen in NSW do not have to wear life jackets crossing a bar for this very reason! When I was fishing and had to cross a bar in difficult conditions, I made the deckhands stand on the back deck while I steered the boat standing next to an open door. The rescue boat in this case is similar to one of our local ones with the door at the rear of the cabin. Even when uninflated, those buoyancy vests have a lot of buoyancy.
I certainly don't think the rules are well thought through. Many people are far safer in the surf with NO bouyancy aids. One of the worst times in the surf have been when I was rescuing a person who was wearing a bouyancy aid and couldn't dive under the break. There may be a rule but experienced people may certainly not wear one and be far safer than those who do. Especially if you ever may be under a capsized boat. It is the same reason that skiff sailors do not like life jackets - getting caught under a large kite in a capsize would be very scary if you couldn't dive downwards. Safety can be the ability to dive and submerge.
Drone footage of the small yacht under outboard motor before the tragic incident.
The picture tells a likely common story. Someone buys a boat and moves it as-is and with limited knowledge. Note he has no sails hanked on, so relying totally on outboard. Crossing a bar towing two dinghys already a hazard, not only from getting pulled into a broach, but also from the painters fouling the prop. Next, transom mounted outboards are terrible in a seaway, they bounce out of the water, lose traction, and can shear the prop loose. No drive means a certain broach on a bar. Add the fact that even when the outboard is operating, there is little directional control when you have the propeller behind the rudder. Dont know what the state of the tide was, but given that the rescue craft flipped, probably was not the best time to cross what is known as a tricky bar.
In summary a tragic case of insufficient knowledge and experience. Had he had some sails and stayed out at sea, he might have survived.
Yes, the fact that he had no sails ready to go and was towing even one dinghy shows terrible judgement.
On the other hand, from personal experience a good outboard can be an excellent way of powering a boat even in routine and significant offshore use IF the setup is done the right way. It shouldn’t be ruled out as a realistic way of re-powering an older boat. A good outboard well setup would often be far safer than an ageing diesel in poor condition.
On PFD use, I saw that all boating drownings in which a PFD was not used or is not known to be used are classed as “avoidable” when they are gathering stats on the effect of PFDs on drownings. That is a ridiculous way to approach the issue and a childish over-simplification of a complex topic. The Southerly 23 owner appears to be wearing a PFD which would be a terrible thing to have on if your boat is lost on a bar or a breakwall and you’re a half decent swimmer but I bet that won’t be used as evidence by the simplistic pro-PFD lobby.
Chris you or I might have a preference based on experience (mine is to wear one) but do you really advise the average Joe, or his wife, child or mate going out in a tinny not to wear a lifejacket going over a bar?
It's over simplified because it couldn't be any other way. Imagine if they said "life jacket mandatory except when you have swum 500 meters in the pool in the last year" or something like that. What about clothing? Do you think they would make them mandatory except when people were wearing swimming gear or a wetsuit? Or just if they're not wearing bulky clothing.
No point in arguing the technicalities. If you pushed me out of the boat in the middle of a bar on a warm summers day, I would prefer to be in boardshorts and no lifejacket.
But accidents don't happen in perfect conditions, they happen in ****ty conditions when people are tired and maybe it's dark and I'll bet the rescue guys would much prefer people to be floating face-up with a bright yellow floaty thing round their neck.....
Select to expand quoteChris 249 said..
On PFD use, I saw that all boating drownings in which a PFD was not used or is not known to be used are classed as “avoidable” when they are gathering stats on the effect of PFDs on drownings. That is a ridiculous way to approach the issue and a childish over-simplification of a complex topic. The Southerly 23 owner appears to be wearing a PFD which would be a terrible thing to have on if your boat is lost on a bar or a breakwall and you’re a half decent swimmer but I bet that won’t be used as evidence by the simplistic pro-PFD lobby.
The body recovered did not have a PFD. In the video he appears to be wearing a spray jacket with the hood possibly giving the impression of a PDF.
In NSW it's a legal requirement to wear life jackets when crossing designated bars. Professional fishermen are exempt. They are exempt due to the risk of being trapped inside a cabin if the trawler capsizes. I personally would always wear a PDF crossing the bar if in the cockpit or driving an open boat. The obvious advantage of wearing a PDF during a capsize is its much easier to recover the bodies. Quite a few accidents over the years at my local bar with amateur fishermen capsizing while not wearing PDFs has resulted in searches lasting up to 3 days to find the bodies.
Select to expand quoteRamona said..
In NSW it's a legal requirement to wear life jackets when crossing designated bars. Professional fishermen are exempt. They are exempt due to the risk of being trapped inside a cabin if the trawler capsizes. I personally would always wear a PDF crossing the bar if in the cockpit or driving an open boat. The obvious advantage of wearing a PDF during a capsize is its much easier to recover the bodies. Quite a few accidents over the years at my local bar with amateur fishermen capsizing while not wearing PDFs has resulted in searches lasting up to 3 days to find the bodies.
I think the obvious advantage of wearing one is it's easier to breath when your floating than it is when your sinking.
I would rather take a pummeling from waves and keep floating than duck a few and then start running out energy. There is probably a good chance you take a gut full of seawater in the capsize and your coughing up a lung before you even start.
Select to expand quoteChris 249 said..
Yes, the fact that he had no sails ready to go and was towing even one dinghy shows terrible judgement.
On the other hand, from personal experience a good outboard can be an excellent way of powering a boat even in routine and significant offshore use IF the setup is done the right way. It shouldn’t be ruled out as a realistic way of re-powering an older boat. A good outboard well setup would often be far safer than an ageing diesel in poor condition.
Outboard in a well is a good set-up, the rudder can be behind the prop, plus there is a degree of motor swivel available, so good directional control. I sailed my Bluebird 22 offshore and across bars with that system with no problems. On the other hand, even with the correct set up on a transom mounted outboard, I had an embarrassing failure on the Pittwater bar on a fine, windless day, when the lumpy sea lifted the stern out of the water, the engine revved high, the stern dropped, and the prop hit the water and sheared the safety shear pin. Even though I had a spare shear pin, there was no way to fit it on the water. Got a tow back to the ramp, so no real problem, just teasing from my family. Would be different if we were crossing a real bar.
Select to expand quoteJonE said..
Chris you or I might have a preference based on experience (mine is to wear one) but do you really advise the average Joe, or his wife, child or mate going out in a tinny not to wear a lifejacket going over a bar?
It's over simplified because it couldn't be any other way. Imagine if they said "life jacket mandatory except when you have swum 500 meters in the pool in the last year" or something like that. What about clothing? Do you think they would make them mandatory except when people were wearing swimming gear or a wetsuit? Or just if they're not wearing bulky clothing.
No point in arguing the technicalities. If you pushed me out of the boat in the middle of a bar on a warm summers day, I would prefer to be in boardshorts and no lifejacket.
But accidents don't happen in perfect conditions, they happen in ****ty conditions when people are tired and maybe it's dark and I'll bet the rescue guys would much prefer people to be floating face-up with a bright yellow floaty thing round their neck.....
No, I didn’t say the average person in a tinny on a bar shouldn’t wear a PFD.
My point was stats from Transport NSW which were referred to in a piece on the Ballina tragedy defined preventable drowning as "cases where a person was presumed to have drowned and was not known to have been wearing a lifejacket”. IMHO that is invalid, because (1) the inference is that the drowning was preventable if the person was wearing a PFD and (2) it completely ignores the fact that some people who drowned and were not recovered quickly could have drowned in a PFD, which affects the stats on how much PFDs increase safety.
So If you get dragged down when harnessed onto a sinking boat (as has happened) then it’s counted as a drowning that could have been prevented with a PFD, which is absolute rubbish. If you are drown inside a capsized boat or sinking boat, as has happened quite a bit and which is a situation in which wearing a PFD is unlikely to help and may be a major hazard, it’s classed as being avoidable if you were wearing a PFD even though the PFD use may not have been a factor. If you vanish in the water wearing a PFD but nobody knows you are wearing one and your body is never found, it’s classed as a death that could have been avoided if a PFD was worn, even if you were actually wearing a PFD and were one of the 28% of boaters who drown with one on, or if you are killed by a shark or being bashed against rocks.
I’m not against PFDs, but against poor research and what appears to be the simplistic over-promotion of PFDs. People think of them as something that will save a life if the wearer is exhausted or unconscious, and that’s rarely true - if you can’t actively maintain your body position you drown from splash inhalation. If you’re really tired and it’s dark you’re probably dead anyway unless you have a waterproof light and a splash cover over your face.
On the other hand I know at least three people who have ended up in the water at night up to three miles offshore without PFDs. All of them have scary stories but they’re all here to tell them. That’s not to say PFDs aren’t useful, but those guys I know don’t get in the stats as people who survived without a PFD, and yet the guy I knew who was still hooked onto the boat when the boat sank would be counted as someone who would have been saved if he had a PFD. Simplistic studies are arguably bad science.
Select to expand quoteYara said..Chris 249 said..
Yes, the fact that he had no sails ready to go and was towing even one dinghy shows terrible judgement.
On the other hand, from personal experience a good outboard can be an excellent way of powering a boat even in routine and significant offshore use IF the setup is done the right way. It shouldn’t be ruled out as a realistic way of re-powering an older boat. A good outboard well setup would often be far safer than an ageing diesel in poor condition.
Outboard in a well is a good set-up, the rudder can be behind the prop, plus there is a degree of motor swivel available, so good directional control. I sailed my Bluebird 22 offshore and across bars with that system with no problems. On the other hand, even with the correct set up on a transom mounted outboard, I had an embarrassing failure on the Pittwater bar on a fine, windless day, when the lumpy sea lifted the stern out of the water, the engine revved high, the stern dropped, and the prop hit the water and sheared the safety shear pin. Even though I had a spare shear pin, there was no way to fit it on the water. Got a tow back to the ramp, so no real problem, just teasing from my family. Would be different if we were crossing a real bar.
Actually in my 28’er the outboard wasn’t installed in a well but was (IMHO) well installed as in properly installed - sorry for the poor wording. Having a deeply-immersed outboard (ie an ultra long shaft rather than a long shaft) and a system that allows access to the prop and all other parts of the donk are parts of a good installation IMHO. In my case the OB was on a through-transom mount that was installed on traveller tracks. When not being used, it was tilted and then rolled forward so that the powerhead and prop and all in between could easily be worked on because they were actually inside the cockpit. Because the outboard tiller extended into the pushpit area, there was no steering problem under power because you could steer the outboard and rudder at the same time, spinning like a top and actually making sternway.
No system is perfect but an outboard has advantages like being able to clear the prop easily - something that I miss with inboards because I’m a complete clot when it comes to getting lines around props. Oh dear….
Select to expand quotecammd said..Ramona said..
In NSW it's a legal requirement to wear life jackets when crossing designated bars. Professional fishermen are exempt. They are exempt due to the risk of being trapped inside a cabin if the trawler capsizes. I personally would always wear a PDF crossing the bar if in the cockpit or driving an open boat. The obvious advantage of wearing a PDF during a capsize is its much easier to recover the bodies. Quite a few accidents over the years at my local bar with amateur fishermen capsizing while not wearing PDFs has resulted in searches lasting up to 3 days to find the bodies.
I think the obvious advantage of wearing one is it's easier to breath when your floating than it is when your sinking.
I would rather take a pummeling from waves and keep floating than duck a few and then start running out energy. There is probably a good chance you take a gut full of seawater in the capsize and your coughing up a lung before you even start.
Bodysurfers and surf lifesavers don’t wear PFDs for good reasons. Years ago I was replying to a proposed law that said windsurfers had to wear PFDs when wavesailing (and by that they meant that inflatable PFDs had to actually be inflated) in the surf. I rang up the technical expert at Surf Life Saving for feedback and his reply was “why do they want to kill you?” So the experts on surf survival strongly agreed that you’re better off without a PFD in the surf.
Obviously that’s assuming people are good swimmers who are familiar with the ocean, but IMHO like the ability to end up in the water without swallowing a gutful that’s a necessity for going offshore anyway.
Select to expand quoteChris 249 said..cammd said..Ramona said..
In NSW it's a legal requirement to wear life jackets when crossing designated bars. Professional fishermen are exempt. They are exempt due to the risk of being trapped inside a cabin if the trawler capsizes. I personally would always wear a PDF crossing the bar if in the cockpit or driving an open boat. The obvious advantage of wearing a PDF during a capsize is its much easier to recover the bodies. Quite a few accidents over the years at my local bar with amateur fishermen capsizing while not wearing PDFs has resulted in searches lasting up to 3 days to find the bodies.
I think the obvious advantage of wearing one is it's easier to breath when your floating than it is when your sinking.
I would rather take a pummeling from waves and keep floating than duck a few and then start running out energy. There is probably a good chance you take a gut full of seawater in the capsize and your coughing up a lung before you even start.
Bodysurfers and surf lifesavers don’t wear PFDs for good reasons. Years ago I was replying to a proposed law that said windsurfers had to wear PFDs when wavesailing (and by that they meant that inflatable PFDs had to actually be inflated) in the surf. I rang up the technical expert at Surf Life Saving for feedback and his reply was “why do they want to kill you?” So the experts on surf survival strongly agreed that you’re better off without a PFD in the surf.
Obviously that’s assuming people are good swimmers who are familiar with the ocean, but IMHO like the ability to end up in the water without swallowing a gutful that’s a necessity for going offshore anyway.
Think I have to call BS. Lifesavers dont attempt to rescue people drowning in the surf without some sort of buoyancy aid.
Ok, surf lifesavers don't wear PDFs. I get that.
But, they also don't wear shirt, jacket, pants, socks, shoes. beanie . and gloves.
I don;t know about the rest of you, but I don's sail with only budgie smugglers in winter.
gary
I think the lifejacket law is a broad brush that doesn't work well for many. Like CT249, I have had bad experiences with lifejackets in the surf. And I don't wear much offshore - no boots ever, hardly ever shoes, mostly boardies and maybe a foulie top at times unzipped. Probably just boardies and if it is cold a merino T shirt. For me, most times an inflated lifejacket just makes things worse.
For me - being in the surf will be best if I can do what I do when bodysurfing, getting down deep when the waves come. For those who wear all the guff - you will need something to stop plummeting downwards all the time but it is the guff that is causing the problem. Its not BS to see the lifesavers train and observe they do really well without flotation to keep themselves safe, same with the kite surf guys and even mugs like me bodysurfing out the back. Even the 18ft skiff guys don't like lifejackets because of the problems involved with being able to swim away from inverted kites and rigging. These are nice slim bouyancy vests - the ones we wear dinghy racing, the ones you inflate just stop you from swimming - you become a deer in the headlights. If you need to save someone take something small, but you don't need flotation to save yourself in the surf - you need to be able to dive.
The safest thing to have on in the surf would be a full wetty and no boots, or wet weather gear - then you could still swim and stay active. Maybe we should have a law that makes you take your boots, jacket and pants off when crossing a bar. It would be more sensible. I think being active is the key. I used to do a lot of sea kayaking and we had to rescue each other lots. Getting the fat weak guys back in the kayaks, with all the radios, booties, spray jackets, whistles and extras on their lifejackets and all the pumps and extras on the back deck was an exercise in effort and waste. They would get exhausted fighting their gear. The fitter guys with just a slim bouyancy vest just glided up in one movement. The fatties focussed on gear instead of themselves. But I would be really happy to buy an inflatable that worked like my dinghy vest - you can still be highly active in these. Offshore - grab me a lifejacket so I can float till you come back for me, but when crossing the bar, I want to be ready to swim. I'll be the guy getting the offshore foulies kit off as we line up the breakwaters.
It would be a big swim from out the back at wide bay bar or jumpinpin. I think I would rather have a jacket than not.
Btw. I didn't say lifesavers don't train with a buoyancy aid I said they don't rescue without a buoyancy aid.
Why is that, why don't they just duck the person they are saving under waves while swimming them back in rather than let them get pummeled by breakers....We all know why because floating is better than sinking. I stand by my call of BS.
