At 9.00 o’clock this morning Falmouth Coastguard concluded a five day operation to rescue a sailing yacht damaged following a collision with a fishing vessel 400 nautical miles west of Cape Verde.
At 1.00 o’clock on the morning of 4th December Falmouth Coastguard was alerted via satellite phone by the yacht Ahead to the plight of the German registered 10 metre yacht Sparrow that she was dismasted and holed after being involved in a collision with a large fishing vessel.
Working with RCC Bremen the watch at Falmouth, identified emergency contact details and contacted MRCC Dakar in Senegal as it began the co-ordination of the rescue effort. Initial action by Falmouth Coastguard was a satellite broadcast to shipping in the area of the incident that may be in a position to assist. The bulk carrier AS Venetia responded and proceeded to the Sparrow.
Arriving on-scene the AS Venetia relayed communications between Falmouth Coastguard and the Sparrow and established the condition of the crew and the severity of the damage. The two crew on board the yacht, both German nationals, were uninjured and despite being dismasted and holed, thankfully above the waterline, decided to continue under engine power to Cape Verde. The AS Venetia provided them with additional diesel for the journey. By this time Falmouth Coastguard had established direct communications with the Sparrow via email.
However, on the morning of 5th December the Sparrow reported to Falmouth that the skipper had fallen ill while the yacht was 320 nautical miles from Cape Verde, still more than three days passage. Falmouth Coastguard relayed medical advice from a doctor at Queen Alexandra’s Hospital, Portsmouth to the yacht who reported they had limited medication. Falmouth Coastguard contacted the container vessel Loa who proceeded to the Sparrow and provided the crew with additional medical supplies.
Falmouth Coastguard maintained communications with the Sparrow until it arrived safely at Cape Verde just after midnight this morning.
This incident, while critical for the crew of the Sparrow, is typical of the work carried out by Falmouth Coastguard using satellite technology and building upon the international relationships they have built up over many years