DGzRS balance sheet: Sailors more frequently in distress

This also applies to the entire water sports sector, which includes sailors, motorboaters, canoeists, surfers, kiters, swimmers and other groups. Sea rescuers had a lot more to do last year than before 2013.

This is the result of statistics on the specific deployment figures of the DGzRS, which the organisation compiled for YACHT online. The sea rescuers presented their overall statistics to the public a good a fortnight ago. However, as it does not differentiate between different types of operation, it is of little significance for sailing.

The detailed figures now available to YACHT online: The DGzRS was called out a total of 1191 times for water sports enthusiasts in 2014. In the same period of the previous year, this figure was "only" 1023, 2012 This means that the number of missions has stabilised at around the same level as two years ago. At the time, the DGzRS had explained the lower number of cases for 2013 by, among other things, an unusually short water sports season that only got going late. Overall, the increase in 2014 compared to 2013 is around 16 per cent.

A quarter more operations for sailing boats

It is even more pronounced if one only considers the number of deployments that clearly involved sailing vessels. In absolute terms, these deployment figures are lower. However, with 796 cases in 2014 compared to 640 in 2013, the increase amounts to almost 25 per cent. Even two years ago, the sea rescuers were "only" called out 685 times specifically for sailors.

The DGzRS has no explanation as to why well over 100 more missions suddenly had to be organised for sailors last season. There were neither stormy days with a particularly high number of maritime emergencies, nor was there an above-average increase in missions at individual sea rescue centres.

There has also been little change in the specific causes of deployment, again in relation to all water sports in the North Sea and Baltic Sea in the German SAR area. As in previous years, the "damage hit list" is once again topped by engine problems and groundings. Once again, the cases in which the sea rescuers had to be alerted due to people falling overboard rank far behind, with fortunately very low numbers of cases.