One of the two survivors forced to abandon a luxury yacht in fierce storms and spent five days clinging to a dinghy in rough seas has broken his silence about the tragedy which claimed his mate.
Townsville man Anthony ‘Johnny’ Mahoney, 73, was sailing Katerina from North Queensland to Subic in the Philippines with Laurie Miller and the boat’s new owner Lionel Ansselin when bad weather struck and the boat starting taking water.
The trio abandoned the yacht and were rescued five days later by a Filipino fishing boat, which took five hours to get them ashore.
Sailors Anthony “Johnny” Mahoney, Lionel Ansselin and Laurie Miller spent five days lost at sea off The Phillipines after abandoning thheir yacht. Mr Mahoney later died in hospital

Anthony ‘Johnny’ Mahoney with his late wife Shelley, who also died following a freak sailing accident in Malaysia in 2014
Suffering from severe dehydration and multi-organ failure, Mr Mahoney died in hospital hours later.
‘In the hospital, I stood by his bed and told him to get his a**e in gear because he owed me a beer. But he never regained consciousness,’ Mr Miller told The Courier Mail this week in his first media interview.
The trio set sail from Cairns on November 24 and refuelled in the Filipino port of Davao City before heading off again on December 11.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority received an alert beacon from the vessel on December 13 and two more EPIRB (distress) signals the following day 165 nautical miles from Davao City.

The Katerina was once owned by renowned American television newsman Walter Cronkite

Sailor Anthony Mahoney, 73, never regained consciousness after he and his crew were rescued after five days lost at sea
A former British Merchant Navy sailor with more than 40 years of ocean experience, Mr Miller, 69, told The Courier Mail it was his decision to abandon the yacht.
‘It was my belief, wrongly as it turned out, that people were out looking for us and any minute now we would hear a helicopter or boat engine coming towards us,’ the Cairns sailor told the publication.
‘I think about it now, ‘should we have stayed? But I think it was the right decision and nobody argued.’

The Katerina was discovered by authorities in the Philippines in near-perfect condition

‘He was getting delirious. We were all struggling, but Johnny (pictured) more than us,’ sailing tragedy survivor Laurie Miller said
Mr Mahoney’s condition deteriorated over the five days lost at sea.
‘He was getting delirious. We were all struggling, but Johnny more than us. We tethered him to the raft to keep him safe,’ Mr Miller said.
The Katerina was discovered by authorities in the Philippines in near-perfect condition, despite being battered by huge seas.
The limited cruising yacht was designed by America’s Cup boat architect David Pedrick, and had completed crossings of the Pacific, the Tasman and the Atlantic.
The 18 metre yacht was formerly known as the Wyntje while owned by US broadcast journalist Walter Cronkite, and hosted Bill and Hillary Clinton.

The luxury yacht once hosted former US president Bill Clinton, his wife Hillary and their daughter Chelsea
Mr Miller’s daughter, Kristy Cruise said at the time of the tragedy it was a miracle her father was alive.
‘My brother spoke to him and he said they were smashed by terrible storms and every night the boat overturned and they were clinging on for dear life and the next day they would get back on and do it all again,’ she said.
Mr Miller will return to sea for the first time since the tragedy next week to help deliver a boat to Fiji.

Designed by an America’s Cup boat architect, the 18 metre yacht was formerly known as the Wyntje while owned by US broadcast journalist Walter Cronkite (pictured)