A lone sailor who left the Cape Town harbour on Friday, August 12 for Mossel Bay, was found dead on the Panacea yacht after an extensive search and rescue operation over two days.

The missing vessel was spotted on Friday by a passing tanker 35 nautical miles south from Cape Agulhas.

The adverse weather conditions made it impossible to establish whether there was anyone on board the small yacht.

According to the spokesperson for the South African Maritime Safety Authority, Tebogo Ramatjie, the NSRI was sent out from the Hermanus station to establish the safety of the sailor and render assistance.

They had to stand down after operating for 10 hours under very difficult sea conditions and nearly no visibility.

The South African Air Force and the Air Sea Rescue team from the NSRI prepared to launch at first light on Saturday to head to the scene and provide assistance. Due to the bad weather the rescue teams could only get to the scene early on Saturday afternoon.

A rescue swimmer from the NSRI team was deployed from the helicopter to board the vessel. Unfortunately the lone sailor was found deceased. Plans are currently underway to recover the sailor and the yacht.

The Marine Rescue Coordination Centre in Cape Town expressed their sincere condolences to the family of the sailor.

They also expressed their thanks and appreciation to the crews of the NSRI and the South African Air Force for their excellent efforts under very challenging conditions during this operation.