On 5 August, the Greek coastguard recovered a man’s body west of Symi. The following day, the authorities confirmed that the body was that of the German holidaymaker who had been missing since Sunday evening. The cause of the incident remains the subject of an ongoing investigation.
For three days, the coastguard, helicopters and boats searched for the eighth member of the group of German holidaymakers. On 5 August, the Greek coastguard recovered a man’s body west of Symi and took it to Rhodes for a post-mortem. The search operation has therefore come to an end.
A dramatic night off the coast of Symi
On the evening of 2 August, eight Germans were sailing in the southern Aegean Sea. The crew, consisting of four men and four women, all went into the water together. The unmanned boat then drifted away.
Two people managed to reach the shore under their own steam and alerted the emergency services. Shortly before midnight, another woman swam to the shore. Shortly after 1.20 am, a coastguard boat located four more people. Seven of the eight holidaymakers had thus been rescued. However, one man remained missing.
Ongoing investigations
The sailing boat was later found adrift. It has not yet been officially established why it drifted away. According to The Greek Coastguard discovered the sailing boat adrift in the waters between Symi and the rocky islet of Seskli. The exact circumstances surrounding how the vessel became separated from the group of swimmers are the subject of an ongoing investigation by the port authority. According to Greek media reports, no anchor is believed to have been set during the incident.
What sailors can learn from this incident
This incident shows how quickly a seemingly harmless stop for a swim can turn into a life-threatening situation. If the entire crew goes into the water, the boat is no longer under control. Even a moderate wind can be enough to drive a yacht a considerable distance away from its starting point in a short space of time.
Before jumping into the water, you should therefore always check the anchorage, water depth, wind and current. Particularly in areas with changing wind and current conditions, the situation can change more quickly than you can react to whilst in the water. If in doubt, one person should always remain on board.
Whilst there is no legal obligation to do so across the board, for safety reasons the following applies: anyone who needs to cool off should ensure, before jumping in, that they can get back on board, particularly if the boat does not have a swimming platform. An anchor watch, which ensures that your own boat remains in position, is an integral part of good seamanship. Many comprehensive insurance policies exclude cover for damage if a vessel is left unmanned at anchor.
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David Ingelfinger
Volontär
