The accident happened just 1.6 nautical miles off Travemünde in the Bay of Lübeck: the yacht of a single-handed sailor suddenly caught fire. The skipper was unable to bring the fire under control and climbed into the life raft. His mayday call was picked up by the Bremen Rescue Coordination Centre.
The skipper has a stroke of luck
While the MRCC immediately alerted the volunteer crew of the rescue boat "Erich Koschubs", which is moored in Travemünde harbour, the crew of a motorboat also responded to the distress at sea and rescued the shipwrecked man from his life raft.
Further units of the DGzRSwhich were training off Neustadt, only about seven nautical miles away at the time of the accident, were also ordered to the burning yacht. The first to arrive was the 38-knot SRB "Christoph Langner", which took over the rescued skipper and brought him ashore with suspected smoke inhalation.
Wreck is towed to Travemünde
As there were gas cylinders and batteries on board the now blazing sailing yacht, posing a risk of explosion, other shipping was instructed to keep a safe distance from the distressed vessel. The fire was finally extinguished by the rescue cruiser "Felix Sand" from the Grömitz station, which had also arrived. Together, the sea rescuers then towed the charred but still buoyant wreck to the Ostpreußenkai in Travemünde.
