The following question was submitted to the ABYC Members recently:
Greetings from Belfast, Northern Ireland,
I am endeavouring to confirm a report I stumbled across quite a few years ago now concerning a yacht named “COIMBRA” which, I believe, belonged to your Club in the early 1950s. The owner was Noel Redfern, as I recall.
Briefly, the story goes like this – Coimbra was undergoing modifications/rebuild at a boatyard in the Clyde (Scotland) prior to a planned circumnavigation in 1952. When she departed for the South Coast of England, she encountered a horrendous storm which resulted in the sinking of the “RMS Princess Victoria” off Donaghadee Northern Ireland. It was the Province’s worst maritime disaster. However, Coimbra survived and eventually reached Southern Britain before departure for her world cruise.
Unhappily she encountered a hurricane off Tristan Da Cunha and was wrecked on one of the islands after a crew member was washed overboard and another sustained severe injuries. The yacht lay beached there for many years.
Is the story familiar to any of your senior members at ABYC, or do you have any records of the event?
Your website looks great and I now very much regret not visiting when I lived in the Republic 17 years ago now.
Warm regards
Maurice Withers
If you do recall such a yacht – please comment below or send a message.