Australian Woman's Sailing Trip Ends in Tragedy Off Mozambique Channel Coast
A 67-year-old Australian woman, Deirdre "Cookie" Sibly, has been suspected of dying while sailing off the coast of Africa. The South Australian native departed from Reunion Island in June with her friend Pascal Mahe on his yacht, the Acteon, bound for South Africa.
The drama unfolded when a distress call was made by the yacht's crew on Wednesday evening local time. A container ship received the call and alerted the French coastguard, which then contacted Sibly's family in Australia. The cargo ships' crews attempted to make contact with the duo but found no signs of life on board.
Despite efforts by multiple vessels, including a maxi yacht, it is believed that sailors eventually boarded the Acteon, leading to the discovery of two deceased individuals. Authorities have been working to identify the pair, although Sibly's family is now waiting anxiously for news.
The family has expressed shock and concern, with Sibly's sister stating she had no idea her sister was experiencing any issues on their voyage. Deirdre "Cookie" Sibly had been a seasoned sailor, having spent 40 years at sea, and had even met Pascal Mahe earlier in the year.
The incident is now under investigation by local authorities, French officials, and those in South Africa, with officials warning of a lengthy repatriation process.
A 67-year-old Australian woman, Deirdre "Cookie" Sibly, has been suspected of dying while sailing off the coast of Africa. The South Australian native departed from Reunion Island in June with her friend Pascal Mahe on his yacht, the Acteon, bound for South Africa.
The drama unfolded when a distress call was made by the yacht's crew on Wednesday evening local time. A container ship received the call and alerted the French coastguard, which then contacted Sibly's family in Australia. The cargo ships' crews attempted to make contact with the duo but found no signs of life on board.
Despite efforts by multiple vessels, including a maxi yacht, it is believed that sailors eventually boarded the Acteon, leading to the discovery of two deceased individuals. Authorities have been working to identify the pair, although Sibly's family is now waiting anxiously for news.
The family has expressed shock and concern, with Sibly's sister stating she had no idea her sister was experiencing any issues on their voyage. Deirdre "Cookie" Sibly had been a seasoned sailor, having spent 40 years at sea, and had even met Pascal Mahe earlier in the year.
The incident is now under investigation by local authorities, French officials, and those in South Africa, with officials warning of a lengthy repatriation process.
I'm so gutted to hear about Deirdre "Cookie" Sibly's sailing trip ending in tragedy off the Mozambique Channel Coast 
. She was an experienced sailor with 40 years under her belt, you'd think she knew what she was doing out there 
. I've always been fascinated by sailing and the freedom that comes with it, but it's also super unpredictable 
. You never know what's gonna happen out there.
. The family's reaction must have been absolutely devastating 
. My heart goes out to them and I hope they get some answers soon as to what happened to Cookie and Pascal 
.
her family is in shock and i can only imagine how hard it must be for them. I do hope they get some answers soon tho. 
the layout of this article is pretty standard tho 
a brief intro, followed by details about the incident, then more updates. its all very clear and easy to follow 
another sailor gone too young deirdre was supposed to be enjoying her golden years on the high seas instead of ending up in tragedy off the coast of africa 40 yrs of sailing experience and it takes a turn like this my thoughts r with cookie's family gotta give it to pascal though he stuck by his friend till the end 
can you believe this? like seriously how many sailing trips have we heard about where everyone just drowns off the coast of africa 
and I'm over here trying to navigate my wifi connection that's slower than cookie's navigation skills apparently 
anyway what's the deal with these distress calls getting lost in space anyone got a 3rd party service that can help track this stuff 
. The thought of those hours, maybe even days, of not knowing what went down is just devastating 
. Now, it's a tragedy and everyone's waiting for news with bated breath... sending positive vibes to her loved ones 
i mean she was an experienced sailor but still... 40 yrs at sea is crazy 
gotta feel bad for Pascal Mahe too, they were supposed to be sailing buddies or whatever 
This is just one of those sad stories that'll leave you feeling, well... down in the dumps. Let's take a moment to remember Deirdre "Cookie" and hope she rests in peace 
. Wait, what if she wasn't so experienced after all? Maybe she got in way over her head and Pascal Mahe should've been more careful? *scratches head* But then again, they were on a long journey together, maybe they just got tired of each other's company 
... or maybe they were having a major argument and it led to this tragedy 
i hope they get the truth out about whats happenin and can get closure soon 
. cant even imagine bein in their shoes, waitin anxiously for news... 