LONE SAILOR RESCUED BY COASTGUARD RESCUE TEAM AT EASTBOURNE


At 8.00 pm, yesterday evening, Dover Coastguard received a mayday distress call. With further investigation as the mayday call was only the spoken word ‘Mayday’ it was determined that the call was coming from somewhere off Eastbourne.

Eastbourne Coastguard rescue team was called out, Eastbourne RNLI lifeboat was requested to launch and the Coastguard rescue helicopter was requested.
When the lifeboat arrived at the location of the yacht, it was on its side with a broken mast. The yacht is a 38 foot steel hulled vessel.

Due to the weather conditions and the condition of the tide the lifeboat was unable to get close to the stricken yacht. It was ascertained that there was a lone sailor onboard the vessel who is in his sixties. The yacht had run aground on a rocky ledge.

The wind at the time was blowing a south westerly near gale force 7, gusting gale force 8.
The Coastguard rescue team made an attempt to wade out to the vessel but had to turn back as the conditions were difficult. The yacht was eventually lifted off the rocky ledge by the tide and was moved closer inland.

The Coastguard rescue team made a second attempt to wade out to the vessel, this time they were successful and they climbed aboard the vessel where they found the gentleman aboard in the cabin, where there was a strong smell of gas. The team managed to get the man out of the cabin and back to shore, where he was handed over to the ambulance services and the police.

Frank O’Neill, Watch Manager, Dover Coastguard said:
This was a challenging situation for the rescue units, due to difficult weather conditions.
The coastguard rescue team putting their water rescue training and equipment to good use were able to rescue this man from his predicament and get him to a place of safety. 

Popular posts from this blog

Label your kit at the coast

Image
Kayaks. Canoes. Paddleboards. What do they all have in common? They’re quite often found on the coastline or drifting out to sea. And if we don’t know who they belong to, we can spend time searching for an owner when they’re home safe and sound. So please help us to help you. Label your kit so that if you do get separated from it, and it turns up somewhere, we can get hold of you. In recent weeks, our Coastguard Rescue Teams have found numerous items such as kayaks and canoes drifting out at sea or abandoned near the shoreline. Unfortunately, some of the items we have found have not had their owners’ contact details written on them nor been reported as missing to the Coastguard. As a result, it makes it difficult for us to find out who it belongs to and also means we can never be completely sure if someone is safe or in the worst case, in trouble at sea. This can place a huge strain on our resources especially during the busy summer period when we have to call upon our Coastgua
Read more

A short history of HM Coastguard

Image
Today HM Coastguard is a world leader in maritime search and rescue. Looking back almost 200 years, the goods, which now travel by road, were carried by hundreds of small ships. Year in year out dozens of ships and hundreds of lives were lost within sight of the coast. Public shock and dismay at the tragedies drove forward the creation of national life saving organisations. Though it’s beginnings lie in those decades HM Coastguard originated not to meet the dangers of the seas but to combat a threat to the country’s economy and security – smuggling. As soon as medieval taxes were charged on imports and exports, people began smuggling. By 1743 th e estimate was that half the tea drunk in Britain was illegally imported and shows that smuggling was highly profitable. Smugglers have often been romanticised but the reality was brutal. Local people lived in fear, with violent reprisals on informers and the murder of revenue officers, while corruption enabled smugglers to evade harsh p
Read more

Emergency Radio Procedures: Does your fishing crew know what to do?

Image
DSC emergency radio procedures                                                              Picture: Planefocus Fitting a Digital Selective Calling radio on your vessel and knowing how to use it in an emergency could save your life.   If the worst were to happen at sea, using a DSC radio correctly can save vital time in getting those in trouble back to the shore.   Calling HM Coastguard with DSC in an emergency significantly helps in locating an incident and providing that help.      Most fixed VHF radios come with built-in DSC, meaning the Coastguard can be called easily and fast.   Assistant Chief Coastguard Matt Leat said:  “DSC means information is sent quickly and clearly so a rescue can begin right away. As well as having a registered personal locator beacon (PLB) per crew member on board, with DSC you’ll be assisting the Coastguard in locating you much faster.   “No one wants to be in an emergency situation and have to use DSC or a PLB, but that does not mean your vessel sho
Read more