Accidents: Marine emergencies: Yacht runs aground, tri loses float and mast
Two crews had to be rescued from dangerous situations on the East Frisian North Sea coast last Friday. One yacht got stuck in the Norderney estuary when the water ran out, while a trimaran suffered major damage off Spiekeroog.
Norderney: Stranding in the surf
On Friday, a yacht ran aground on a sandbank in the surf in Norderney's Seegatt due to engine damage and grounding. The crew sent out a mayday call in the morning. According to the DGzRS, the sailor was only able to give a very vague position. At about the same time, however, the rescue cruiser "Eugen" of the DGzRS station Norderney received a telephone call from an islander who had discovered the yacht in the surf off Norderney.
At this point, the water had been running out for several hours. The yacht was in danger of being wrecked in the surf. In the shallow water, the alarmed rescue cruiser could no longer reach the boat, which was around ten metres long, and went on standby.
However, shortly after 11 a.m., the rescue boat "Otto Diersch" arrived at the distressed vessel. The sailor managed to attach the towline thrown over by the sea rescuers to his boat so that his ship could be towed free. The rescuer and the rescued man passed through the sea inlet in breakers up to two metres high.
The sailor, who had made a stopover in Norderney on his voyage from Wilhelmshaven back to his home port in the Dutch IJsselmeer, was brought to Norddeich. At the time of the accident, wind forces of five to six Beaufort prevailed.
Spiekeroog: Trimaran swimmer breaks in the swell
Just a few nautical miles further east, the crew of a trimaran had a stroke of luck. According to the DGzRS, one of the floats on the trimaran had come loose in rough sea conditions north of the island of Spiekeroog, causing the mast to break.
The skipper of the trimaran, which was on its way from Spiekeroog to Helgoland, was able to alert MRCC Bremen by radio. The fishery protection boat "Seefalke" was very close to the scene of the accident at the time and offered its assistance. At the scene, the "Seefalke" launched a dinghy, took a female sailor from on board the stricken tris and transferred one of its own crew members to assist the skipper.
Shortly afterwards, the rescue boat from Horumersiel and the rescue cruiser from the Helgoland station arrived.
The rescuers managed to establish a towing connection between the trimaran and the rescue boat. However, the damaged starboard float was full of water and the trimaran was in danger of sinking. The broken rig, which was still hanging in the water along with its sails, also hindered the towing attempts. It also ran the risk of damaging the hull parts that were still intact.
With the DGzRS subsidiary boat, a sea rescuer was transferred to the trimaran for support, where the rig and damaged boom were finally cut and taken on board by crane from the fishing protection boat.
Only then was it possible to tow the trimaran to Hooksiel. The crew survived the accident unharmed. North-westerly winds of around five Beaufort and a swell of around one and a half to two metres prevailed here too.
