No sooner had the crew at Skagen Rescue Station started their shift than the alarm came in: a large steel sailing boat had run aground three nautical miles from the harbour. Shortly afterwards, the next report came in: the boat was taking on water. The rescue boat FRB08, loaded with pumps, set out; two rescue workers drove the rescue vehicle to the beach; and a helicopter, carrying further pumps on board, also took off towards Skagen.
Initial on-site assessment
The FRB08 was the first unit to arrive on the scene. What the crew found initially looked dramatic: the steel boat was almost entirely beached, its side exposed to the surf. Two crew members waded out and boarded the vessel to assess the situation. It was quickly established that water had entered through an open door. What had been feared to be a rescue operation for a sinking vessel turned out to be a salvage operation.
Stuck in the sand
The crew attached a towline and even tried using the mast to pull the boat free as it heeled over. However, the steel boat was stuck, and the surf was too strong to lend a hand from the beach. The helicopter, which had arrived in the meantime, received a radio update on the situation and returned to Aalborg, as the situation was under control.
Reinforcements for Lars Kruse
As the FRB08 did not have enough pulling power on its own, the station called in the larger rescue vessel, the Lars Kruse. Until it arrived, the FRB08 held the sailing boat in place to prevent it from drifting further onto the beach. With the help of the Lars Kruse and its more powerful engine, the boat was finally freed and towed to the harbour at Skagen. The owner took possession of it there; it had sustained no major damage.
Jan-Ole Puls
Editor Test & Technology
