Peterhead Lifeboat Heads Out into North Sea

Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Posted 11:36 GMT

Aberdeen Coastguard are currently co-ordinating the rescue of a 36 foot pleasure yacht and its two crew in distress 75 miles off the Scottish coastline.

The alerting call came via an iridium phone on board the yacht to HM Customs and Excise at just before 6.00 am this morning. The call described the yacht `Anga with a white hull and blue stripe with 2 people on board having become dismasted in rough seas off the coast of Peterhead, hence the iridium phone call rather than a radio distress signal to the Coastguard. Their on board VHF radio was non-operational as the aerial had been attached to the mast.

The details of the call were routed back to Aberdeen Coastguard who has responsibility for search and rescue within that area, who discussed the situation with their Coastguard counterparts in Stavanger in Norway.

The male and female crew in their emergency call also described their propeller being fouled with rope and they were unable to make any headway as they had lost their engine. They had left Norway for Scotland on Monday and then they were going to proceed back to Norway, but had been hit by rough weather for force 5 - 7 locally on their journey to the north of Scotland. Visibility locally is 6 - 8 nautical miles.

Contact with the vessel was attempted, but failed several times due to connection problems.

The Coastguard began broadcasting a pan pan or urgency call into the area to alert other shipping to the yachts plight. Helicopter flights to and from the Galaxy platform were alerted to keep a visual watch for the vessel.

The nearest vessel to the co-ordinates given for the yacht was a fishing vessel but who was unable to assist as and they had a lot of fishing gear out at the time. However, a standby vessel the Dea Searcher responded and was able to launch their fast rescue craft to the vessel who identified that both people were safe and well on board the yacht. A sea anchor was passed across to the yacht to halt their rate of drift.

Aberdeen Coastguard were then able to communicate with the yacht and identify that the mast had become completely disconnected with the yacht rendering their VHF aerial inactive.

The Peterhead RNLI all weather lifeboat was requested to launch and the unusual nature of the call and the distances involved were relayed.

Matthew Mace, Aberdeen Coastguard Watch Manager said

At 75 miles off the coastline in rough seas, no doubt the Norwegian crew will be having a lumpy time of it!

Fortunately we have now been in contact with them and they seem safe and well but frustrated at their inability to make headway given the double whammy of being dismasted and a rope around their prop. The standby vessel `Dea Searcher has now left the scene and we are very grateful to the Coxwain and crew of the Peterhead RNLI all-weather lifeboat who are now proceeding to their position. They are due to arrive on scene at around 1.00 pm but taking such a vessel under tow given the weather conditions will be at least a further 10 hours before they make it back to port.

For further details contact:
The Maritime & Coastguard Agency Press Office
023 8032 9401