Yacht Calls for Assistance From Mid Atlantic

Friday, May 01, 2009
Posted 19:58 GMT

In the very early hours of this morning, Falmouth Coastguard received an emergency call from the yacht Fleur which, in very poor conditions, had suffered a partial knockdown with three men on board heading for Nuuk in Greenland from Falmouth.

They had left Cornwall on the 21st of April and they are around 800 miles from Greenland at present.

Their estimated date of arrival was the 5th May and the vessel is described as a 40 foot Island Packet 380 cutter with a UK registered Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB).

The call indicated that they had lost all their instrumentation but still had a hand held global positioning device and paper charts.

The crew skipper had taken a knock to his head, and they reported that they had a liferaft and two satellite phones on board. They also had flares on board.

They described the weather as very rough with Force 11 winds, with average speeds of above 60 knots, and waves of between 20 and 30 feet.

Initially it was agreed that contact every three hours between the vessel and Falmouth would be maintained.

During the next early morning call, the skipper indicated he was very tired having had only two hours sleep and that the vessel had lost its spray hood. A weather forecast of the area was then supplied. They then suffered a further knock down.

The crew indicated at that time that their intentions were to sit out the bad weather and then head back east towards Ireland.

By mid morning today the crew reported that the vessel had had superficial damage and had suffered a small amount of water ingress, but that their mast was still intact.

By midday however on the next call after suffering further knockdowns the skipper indicated that he had had enough and wished to abandon the vessel with his crew.

Falmouth then began to search for other vessels that would have been able to come to their assistance and also various rescue helicopter ranges as the vessel was at that point still over 300 nautical miles west of the Irish coast.

The Irish Coastguard which had been contacted earlier alerting them to the plight of the crew offered a fixed wing aircraft to go to the position of the Fleur whilst other vessels including a tanker `Yellowstone contacted Falmouth offering assistance, although none were in close proximity to the distressed yacht at that time.

The offer from the tanker was accepted and co-ordinates were given to the Master where to rendezvous with the yacht.

By 5.30 pm this evening the tanker Yellowstone was 19 nautical miles away from the yacht and had managed to make contact with them via VHF radio and the Irish fixed wing aircraft who had been monitoring the situation overhead and in contact via the air rescue co-ordination centre at Kinloss was released with grateful thanks.

The tanker `Yellowstone is due on scene with the yacht `Fleur around 9.00 pm this evening.

The crews shore side contacts have been made aware of the developing situation.

Andy Cattrell, Falmouth Coastguard Watch Manager said

We are respecting the wishes of the skipper and his crew to come off their damaged yacht. These are likely to be a very difficult manoeuvresand we will offer every practical help we can, but from this distance it will be the seamanship of both the Master and yacht crew that will be crucial in this lifesaving action in very heavy seas.

Notes for Editors

The Island Packet 380 is designed with a modern Full Foil keel, cutter rig, and impressive interior accommodation plan. The Full Foil keel provides a host of advantages: moderate draft for access to a wider variety of cruising grounds, integral one piece construction for superior strength, a highly effective airfoil shape for excellent windward performance, and a modern hull form for enhanced speed and maneuverability. The safety and sea keeping offered by this keel design provide both piece of mind and additional comfort while underway. The cutter rig features a self-tacking staysail with boom.

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