Ferry passenger spots boat in distress
On Monday 17 August, a passenger on the ferry reported the unusual situation. The ship was en route from Portsmouth to Bilbao when the observer spotted the apparently unmanned sailing boat.
The ferry halted its journey and sent a lifeboat with three crew members to the yacht. However, the men found no one either on board or in the immediate vicinity. Nor were they able to detect any signs of life.
According to the Atlantic Maritime Prefecture The sailing boat was drifting about 70 nautical miles – around 130 kilometres – south-west of Pointe de Penmarc’h in the Finistère department. The authorities believe that a man had been on board, as a family came forward after a relative had been unreachable for hours. He is believed to be French.
Search operations using aircraft and vessels
The Regional Operations Centre for Surveillance and Rescue in Étel, CROSS Étel, subsequently launched a search operation. The search was suspended overnight and resumed on Tuesday 18 August.
Aircraft were deployed. Ships that were in the region were also mobilised. The Maritime Prefecture stated that the emergency services were continuing their search based on the available information and the man’s presumed drift.
It remains unclear when and under what circumstances the man may have left the sailing boat. Initially, there was also no reliable information regarding the number of possible occupants.
No distress signal received
The search is being hampered by the fact that, according to the Maritime Prefecture, no emergency beacon was triggered. An automatic or manually activated signal would have enabled the rescue services to narrow down the search area more precisely.
This incident once again highlights the importance of having emergency communication systems on board that can be accessed at any time. VHF channel 16 and the national emergency number 196 are among the options available for alerting the French maritime rescue service. When sailing outside coastal waters, an EPIRB, a personal AIS emergency transmitter or a satellite communication device can also be crucial.
The Atlantic Maritime Prefecture coordinates French search and rescue operations in the waters off the Atlantic coast. As of Tuesday evening, it was still unclear what had caused the boat to be adrift and whether the missing man could be found.
Our article on a [subject] also provides guidance on technical preparations for emergencies. A single-handed sailor who was rescued after falling overboard.
What safety equipment do you consider essential for single-handed sailing?
Jill Grigoleit
Editor Travel
