The owner of the Oyster 82 sailing yacht ‘Raven’, Philippe Goossens, received a distress call on 27 December while in Cape Town, notifying him of a distress signal from a boat of the same name. Alerted to an unfolding emergency, the ‘Raven’ swiftly responded in spite of their upcoming participation in the Oyster World Rally and navigational concerns being over 70 nautical miles away from the source of the distress beacon.

Despite the growing distance and logistical challenges, such as refit works and limited fuel reserves, the ‘Raven’ crew recalibrated their direction towards the beacon. On the morning of 28 December, their gallant efforts culminated in the discovery of Rebecca Ferry, a 47-year-old British solo rower whose namesake boat had been adrift, following the critical malfunction of its steering system and solar panels.