Man praises rescuers after wife dies on yacht off Isle of Wight

In the night of May 30 to 31, 2026, my wife Petra and I were on our sailing vessel MADRISA at an anchorage in Osborne Bay near East Cowes.

Having retired by the end of April, we intended to fulfil our dream of spending as much time as possible on our sailing vessel.

We left Hamburg in the beginning of May, sailed to Heligoland, crossed the German Bight, arrived in Lowestoft and then slowly travelled along the English coast until we reached this beautiful anchorage on the Isle of Wight.

And all of a sudden, after a beautiful and calm day, Petra suffered a cardiac arrest.

CPR was initiated immediately and further help arrived within a few minutes after a Mayday Call had been sent.

Despite all efforts, Petra could not be resuscitated and died on board of our retirement dream.

On behalf of our children, relatives and friends I would like to express our deepest gratitude to everyone who was involved in this dramatic and traumatic incident: members of the Southampton Port Authority, members of the Cowes RNLI, members of the HM Coastguard, the staff of the Shepard's Marina and Cowes Harbour Comission, the Holy Trinity Church, the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC).

They all rushed to Osborne Bay to help in the middle of the night and took care of me and of my children when they arrived the next day.

They comforted us in our darkest hours and gave Petra a most dignified and respectful farewell.

Their helpfulness, friendliness and empathy will never be forgot.