Motor Boater Lost At Sea Rescued

A man lost at sea off the Solway Firth in a 25 foot motor boat has been rescued after a three hour search coordinated by HM Coastguard.

The alarm was raised at around 3pm, when staff in Belfast Coastguard Operations Centre contacted vessels in Maryport harbour about a different matter and discovered that a man on board one of the motor vessels had already left Maryport harbour on passage to Barrow In Furness to the South but was in some difficulty.  Due to poor visibility and not having functional navigation and communications equipment on board the man was not able to work out the vessel's location.

HM Coastguard launched a search and sent the Coastguard Rescue helicopter from Prestwick and requested the launch of Workington and Ramsay RNLI lifeboats.  The vessel was located around 6pm, 30 miles from the departure point to the North of the Isle of Man.  The vessel has been escorted to Kircudbright Harbour by the Kircudbright RNLI lifeboat and met by Kircudbright Coastguard Rescue Team.

Advice from HM Coastguard advice for anyone going afloat:

It is important to plan and be fully prepared when embarking on a passage. The vessel must be sea worthy and have working navigation and communications equipment on board and more importantly, know how to use them. It is a good idea to inform someone ashore of your passage plans, providing details of departure and estimated time of arrival. The earlier the alarm can be raised the earlier assistance can be provided.

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