YACHT CREW RESCUED OFF ISLES OF SCILLY

Two Dutch crew from a yacht have been rescued in gale force conditions overnight, 75 miles South West of the Isles Of Scilly.

At on Thursday Falmouth Coastguard received an EPIRB (Emergency Positioning Radio Beacon) distress alert located 75 miles South West of the Isles Of Scilly, which they determined was registered to a Swedish 36 foot yacht called Andriette. 

Falmouth Coastguard contacted merchant vessels in the area and a message was relayed from another yacht which had encountered the Andriette on Wednesday and reported that she had suffered some damage but had continued on her passage from the Azores to Malmo in Sweden.

The Rescue Helicopter from RNAS Culdrose located the damaged yacht at which was without steering, lying stern to the wind in heavy seas. With winching over the deck impossible in the conditions, the two men on board had to abandon to their liferaft.  The winchman retrieved one man from the liferaft but the liferaft capsized and on returning for the second man, both winchman and crewman were out of sight in the water beneath the upturned raft.  Thankfully, when the liferaft righted itself the winchman had located the man in the water and both were winched back to the safety of the helicopter.

The two men are Dutch nationals aged 41 and 54. They were cold and wet after their ordeal but uninjured and have been transferred to Falmouth.  


Falmouth Coastguard Watch Manager Peter Bullard said,

“The conditions for the helicopter rescue crew were extremely challenging with gale force winds, rough seas and darkness.  The three merchant vessels which responded to us helped with communications and were always an option for rescue.  However, transfer either to helicopter or a vessel would always be difficult under these conditions.”



-Ends-
 Notes to Editors

1.      Carrying a VHF radio on your vessel is vital and VHF DSC (Digital Selective Calling) is strongly recommended. Ensure your radio equipment is fully working and you know what to do in an emergency. With DSC you can send a distress alert along with your exact position, with one touch of the button. The distress alert  is repeated every four minutes until it is acknowledged either by a Coastguard Station (Ship to Shore) or by a vessel (Ship to Ship) within radio range.
  1. Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) numbers are programmed into a DSC radio set and an MMSI is issued as part of your radio licence application, via Ofcom. It consists of a series of nine digits, which are used to uniquely identify the radio on your vessel.

  1. The MCA is a partner in the Sea Vision UK campaign to raise awareness and understanding of the sea and maritime activities.  Sea Vision promotes the importance and economic value of the sector and works to highlight the exciting range of activities and career opportunities available to young people within the UK growing maritime sector. www.seavisionuk.org

  1. Stay safe - before heading out on the water get trained, check weather and tides, wear a lifejacket, avoid alcohol and keep in touch

  1. Follow us on Twitter. Find us at MCA_media

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