Sadness in the Southern Hemisphere

Belmont, Australia (February 7, 2015) – A young boy remains in a critical condition after becoming tangled in ropes when his small training yacht capsized on Saturday. Two 11-year-old boys took a Flying Eleven out for a practice sail in Belmont Bay on Lake Macquarie in mild conditions at about 4.45pm. Lake Macquarie Yacht Club general manager Alan Paterson said a fisherman in an aluminum dinghy noticed the upside down boat and a “distressed” boy on top. He said the fisherman went to their aid and untangled the other boy who was trapped underneath. The injured boy was wearing a life jacket. Flying Eleven class yachts were designed in Australia in the mid-1960s as a high performance, light weight racing dinghy for young people generally aged 10-18. – The Daily Telegraph

Wellington, New Zealand (February 8, 2015) – A 70-year-old Auckland man participating in the Noelex 22 National Championship fell in the water and died at about 10:30am on Sunday. The event was hosted by Plimmerton Boating Club on February 6-8. Event spokesman Commodore Matt Hipperson said all participants in the event were wearing lifejackets, but this man’s lifejacket was not inflated when he fell. The man was in the water for about 15 minutes before his crew rescued him. It was unknown whether the man had drowned, or had suffered a medical event. Designed in 1968, the 22-foot Noelex 22 is popular in New Zealand as a one design class racer and family day sailor. – NZ Herald