A single handed sailor who had been adrift for three days in Force 5 winds in the Caribbean was rescued after the crew of a passing crude oil tanker spotted his rocket parachute flare.
Lookout crew on the 229m long GLOBE POLARIS were about 4 miles away from the sailing yacht, which had run out of fuel and had suffered a torn mainsail, when they spotted the pyrotechnic distress signal. The sailing yacht’s emergency batteries were depleted making it unable to use any other communication and positioning devices. After attracting initial attention with the aerial red rocket flare, the skipper used a red hand flare to guide the ship to his position.
Once safely alongside, the sailing yacht skipper was able to use his tender to transfer to the oil tanker where the crew provided the stable but exhausted sailor with medical care, food and accommodation. The crew on GLOBE POLARIS broadcast a navigational safety message as the abandoned sailing boat and tender remained adrift and unlit, around 134 miles away from its intended destination.
Captain Sachin Balisti of the GLOBE POLARIS said: “As seafarers, we consider it our humanitarian duty to render assistance to anyone in distress, and we will continue to uphold this responsibility whenever required.” The yacht’s skipper was safely transferred to the St Vincent Coast Guard.
The rescue highlights the detection capabilities of pyrotechnic signals, both in the power of the illumination and instant recognition that it’s a call for help, but also the fact that they are self-contained, requiring neither batteries nor servicing, sailors know they can be relied upon to perform in an emergency.
Article and image from Synergy Marine Group
