MOTORBOATERS RESCUED FOLLOWING FAINT BROADCAST

Three people whose motorboat ‘Mi Amigo’ had started to sink off Skokholm Island, Pembrokeshire were rescued this afternoon after broadcasting an ‘urgency ‘ broadcast.
Milford Haven Coastguard heard a faint pan pan (urgency) broadcast from the motorboat ‘Mi Amigo’ at 4.10 pm this afternoon. The vessel had started to take water through its drive shaft and needed urgent assistance. The Coastguard requested the Angle and St Davids RNLI lifeboats to launch and re-broadcast the pan pan message to which other vessels in the area, including the ferry ‘Isle of Inishmore’ responded.  Although the only position given was ‘south of Skokholm Island’ the vessel was located after a short while, very low in the water, east of Skokholm Island. The Angle Lifeboat put its pumps on board the vessel so that the excess water could be pumped off and the vessel was towed back into Angle by the lifeboat.
Acting Watch Manager Barry Skidmore says:
“The broadcast was very faint and we only picked it up once in amongst all the other traffic on a busy Saturday afternoon. However, when we listened back to it we could hear that it definitely was a request for assistance and so we requested lifeboats and other vessels to search for it. Luckily for the three people involved we were able to locate the vessel reasonably quickly despite the imprecise location given.
“We recommend that those setting to sea invest in a VHF DSC radio and know how to use it. DSC can be used to call for assistance with one push of a button. And provided that it is linked into your vessel’s GPS it will automatically give the coastguard your precise position. Remember to tell someone at home where you are going and when you expect to return so that they can raise the alarm if you do not return as expected.”

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