Fundraiser launched for yacht owner who almost made it to Ballina
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A community fundraising appeal has been launched for the owner of the yacht stranded on Flat Rock after supporters revealed he had invested his life savings in the vessel and was preparing to begin a new chapter in Ballina.
Local fundraiser Mark Ross said James Latta was just hours from reaching his berth at Ballina Marina when disaster struck off Skennars Head.
Ross said James, a retired paramedic and former police officer who was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2023, had planned to live aboard the yacht while working with the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
“James has always put others first through his professions and community,” Ross wrote in a social media appeal.
“He has been left with nothing.”
The appeal comes after the yacht was dragged from Flat Rock by excavators in a dramatic recovery operation that ended a week-long ordeal.
Mark Ross
Delayed by equipment failure
According to Ross, James and his travelling companion Dave, 67, encountered problems near Byron Bay when the yacht’s mainsail failed.
The breakdown delayed the journey by about two hours.
Ross said the pair had expected to arrive in Ballina before dark but were still approaching the coast after nightfall.
He said James later told him they may have mistaken a red aircraft warning light on the East Ballina reservoir for a navigation light marking the entrance to the Richmond River.
The yacht struck Flat Rock about 6.15pm on Tuesday.
James and Dave were rescued by nearby fishermen before emergency services arrived.
The 42-foot yacht grounded at Flat Rock being dragged off the shelf (photo:Paul Stanley-Jones)
A costly recovery
The yacht was successfully removed from the reef on Friday using two excavators, which carried the 12.5-metre vessel approximately 1.3 kilometres north to the Sharpes Beach carpark.
Maritime NSW previously confirmed the owner would be responsible for the salvage costs associated with recovering the vessel.
James had earlier told Ballina News Daily he had sold his LandCruiser and caravan to purchase and refurbish the yacht, which he intended to use as his home.
“That was my house,” he said.
While the yacht was removed from Flat Rock with less damage than some onlookers feared, it remains too early to determine whether the vessel can be economically repaired.
The yacht is expected to undergo further assessment now it has been transported from the reef.
Ross said community members had already begun reaching out looking for ways to help.
Anyone wishing to assist James can contact Mark Ross on 0427 869 536.
