Australian woman, 67, suspected to have died while sailing in Mozambique channel

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.

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 . My dad used to sail a lot when he was younger and I remember him telling me stories about how one minute everything is fine and the next you're dealing with bad weather or mechanical issues . You never know what's gonna happen out there.

It's just so sad that her friend Pascal Mahe had to go through this too, especially after meeting Deirdre earlier in the year . 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 .

ugh I cant believe this Deirdre "Cookie" Sibly was an experienced sailor, had 40 yrs at sea but still something went terribly wrong off the coast of Mozambique Channel 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

omg u guys i cant even believe this 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

I just can't help but feel for Deirdre "Cookie" Sibly's family . She was such an experienced sailor, had been out there 40 years, and her family has no idea what happened to her on that trip . The thought of those hours, maybe even days, of not knowing what went down is just devastating . You'd think she was invincible given all the miles under her belt . Now, it's a tragedy and everyone's waiting for news with bated breath... sending positive vibes to her loved ones

aww poor cookie my heart goes out to her fam i mean she was an experienced sailor but still... 40 yrs at sea is crazy hope the investigation finds out what happened and gives them some closure soon

so sad to hear about Deirdre "Cookie" Sibly... 40 years sailing experience is crazy, I mean you'd think she's invincible or something lol. Reunion Island to Mozambique channel is a long way to be solo tho. at least her family seems pretty down-to-earth and not trying to make a thing out of it. idk what's up with the investigation though... feels like a lot of people are jumping on this bandwagon. gotta feel bad for Pascal Mahe too, they were supposed to be sailing buddies or whatever

I'm so saddened to hear about Deirdre "Cookie" Sibly's tragic sailing trip. 40 years at sea is no joke! She must've known the risks, but still, it's heartbreaking that she didn't make it back home. Pascal Mahe's friend he was, too... poor guy's gotta deal with this now. I hope his friends and family are doing alright too.

You know, sailing's all about taking in the views and experiencing life at sea, but sometimes it can be cruel. I'm sure Deirdre "Cookie" loved every minute of her trip before things went sour. Her family must be devastated... I mean, who wouldn't be? 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

Umm... I'm like totally bummed out for Deirdre's family . 40 years of sailing experience? That's crazy! And she was sailing solo... er, not really . 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 . And what about all the stuff I read online saying that sailing in those waters is super safe? Wasn't there some warning sign we're missing here? *confused face* Can't make up my mind, I'm literally torn

omg this is so sad ... thinkin bout Deirdre "Cookie" Sibly, she was such an adventurous person 40 yrs on the water cant believe shes gone . how r her fam feelin?? i hope they get the truth out about whats happenin and can get closure soon . its crazy how much time it'll take to figger out wht went wrong and get her repatriated . cant even imagine bein in their shoes, waitin anxiously for news...

omg that's so sad Cookie was such an adventurous soul! 40 yrs of sailing experience just isn't enough to prepare you for something like this? i feel so bad for her family, they must be going through the worst Pascal was lucky to have met her and had her as a travel buddy. he might've been shaken by what happened too . RIP Cookie, may your journey come full circle soon

just heard about this sailing trip gone wrong off the Mozambique Channel coast. I mean, Deirdre 'Cookie' Sibly was an experienced sailor, had been out on the water for 40 years, so you'd think she'd be prepared for anything. But life's full of surprises, right? I can imagine how shocked her family must be - no idea she was struggling or having any issues on that trip... 67 and out at sea, it's just not something you want to happen to anyone. Fingers crossed they get to the bottom of what happened and figure out who those two people were