A 46-year-old sailor from Hamburg found himself in an extremely uncomfortable situation on the Elbe on Friday afternoon during the winter storm "Elli". The skipper originally wanted to sail his ketch from Hamburg to Finkenwerder, but was forced off his planned route by the strong squalls. He finally dropped anchor in the tributary Elbe near the Elbe island of Lühesand. At low tide, the yacht then ran dry and began to lean. Walkers noticed the distress and alerted the police. An extensive rescue operation followed, about which the DLRG Horneburg/Altes Land reported on their Facebook page.
Complex rescue operation in the silt
A total of 40 DLRG and fire brigade personnel gathered at the dyke near Grünendeich in the district of Stade to discuss the next steps. The DLRG local group Horneburg/Altes Land deployed with three vehicles and eleven emergency personnel. The Buxtehude local DLRG group and the Borstel and Grünendeich fire brigades were also involved in the operation. During the investigation, it turned out that the skipper was still on board the dry sailboat. Specially trained river rescuers in protective suits then made their way through the cold silt to the damaged boat and made contact with the sailor.
Although falling dry posed no immediate danger to the boat and crew, the skipper could have expected a very uncomfortable, if not dangerous, night on board with sub-zero temperatures and persistent strong winds from the east on his yacht in an inclined position. So the skipper secured his boat against drifting away at high tide. The current rescuers then guided the man safely ashore using a ladder bridge provided by the fire brigade. "I've never seen anything like it," DLRG spokesperson Rainer Bohmbach commented on the three-hour operation to NDR. The Lühe joint municipality took over the Hamburg man's accommodation for the night. He will now have to get his boat afloat again himself during the course of today.
Cause and course of the accident
According to the DLRG, the 46-year-old owner was on his way from Hamburg to Finkenwerder when he deviated from his planned route due to the strong storm. The gusts of wind from winter storm "Elli" had Hamburg firmly in their grip on Friday and resulted in numerous rescue operations. The storm also drove the sailor into the Nebenelbe and onto the mud bank near Grünendeich.
This is the second time in just a few days that the winter storm has put sailors in distress. Just last Wednesday, a sailor had to be rescued from his boat in the open North Sea by helicopter.
It is not yet known why the Elbe sailor set off alone on the not entirely harmless trip; however, his behaviour has been clearly criticised in the comment sections under the Facebook post. The DLRG comments on this criticism: "We understand that some people judge the situation spontaneously. But please bear in mind that we don't know all the background. There are situations in life that sometimes leave people with little choice."
