Yarmouth Coastguard Responds to Three Yachts in Need of Rescue

Monday, July 06, 2009
Posted 20:01 GMT

Yarmouth Coastguard responded to three yachts in need of rescue this afternoon, with Lowestoft All Weather Lifeboat attending to all three.

At 12.25 this afternoon Yarmouth Coastguard received reports of the Oakum 2 yacht suffering engine failure and the Lowestoft Lifeboat was launched to tow her safely into port. No sooner had they returned back to the boathouse than Yarmouth Coastguard began receiving reports of two Dutch yachts also in trouble. The crew of the first yacht Waterwuif had been on a night passage from the Netherlands, and, exhausted and disorientated from the long journey, were finding it difficult to negotiate the strong currents and sandbanks. With the weather deteriorating and thunderstorms and rising winds beginning to set in, Yarmouth Coastguard were extremely concerned for the crews safety, and so requested that the Lowestoft Lifeboat be launched again to their aid.

A local workboat, the Diablo offered their assistance, and under the combined direction of Yarmouth Coastguard and the lifeboat, guided the yacht to safety.

The second Dutch vessel, the Winston, had also suffered engine failure, and so once again the Lifeboat towed the vessel in, helping her negotiate the tricky entrance into Lowestoft.

Peter Wheeler, Yarmouth Watch Manager said:

Passage planning is an essential part of any voyage and it would appear that at least one of these craft was not fully prepared. Sailing across the North Sea is fraught with danger from the large number of commercial vessels, and keeping a very good watch is paramount, nevertheless, one should try to plan for enough sleep to be able to cope with the pilotage at the destination.

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