Sea accident poser deepens

22 June 2015 - 02:03 By Nivashni Nair

More than two days after 58-year-old Carly Hill was reported to have fallen overboard while her husband slept below deck, there are still very few answers on exactly what transpired on board the yacht off the KwaZulu-Natal coastline on Friday. Police spokesman Brigadier Vish Naidoo yesterday said there was no reason or evidence to suggest foul play at this stage."We did speak to her husband, Peter Hill. He gave us all the information we required in terms of filing a missing person's report. We are carrying out a missing person's investigation," he said.A distraught Hill eventually returned to shore on Saturday evening after earlier refusing to give up searching for his wife.The British national is believed to be staying with Hill's son, Dylan du Preez, in Durban North.Frank Stuyck, owner of the Port Owen boat yard on the Cape West Coast, where the couple repaired their yacht, said yesterday that the news of Hill's disappearance came as a "terrible shock".He said disappearing after falling off a vessel was not common."When you sail there is sort of an unwritten rule - you fall off, you are dead. So people do take care. It does happen. In most cases, when it does, someone else is on board and sees it and is able to pick the person up," he said.Naidoo said the search was called off because it was impractical to continue searching a "vast area like the ocean"."Through the National Sea Rescue Institute and the Durban harbour, we are alerting all vessels to keep a lookout, as there is a lot of boating activity on the KwaZulu-Natal coastline, particularly between the Durban harbour and just beyond Umhlanga, and also south of the harbour."The air wing, water wing and rescue institute are on stand-by. If someone should pick up something then we would go out there,'' he said.On Friday, a day after departing from Durban for Madagascar, Peter Hill raised the alarm when he could not find his wife on board after he awoke from a nap.An extensive sea and air search- and-rescue operation proved fruitless and was called off on Saturday evening.Stuyck yesterday said Hill was an enthusiastic sailor."They were very happy and enjoyed sailing together. They recently spent a week in Namibia to celebrate Peter's 65th birthday. I really do feel for Peter," he said.Hill documented their travels on a blog and in her last Facebook post on Wednesday asked friends to keep her husband and her in their thoughts and prayers...

There’s never been a more important time to support independent media.

From World War 1 to present-day cosmopolitan South Africa and beyond, the Sunday Times has been a pillar in covering the stories that matter to you.

For just R80 you can become a premium member (digital access) and support a publication that has played an important political and social role in South Africa for over a century of Sundays. You can cancel anytime.

Already subscribed? Sign in below.



Questions or problems? Email helpdesk@timeslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00.