McMurdo PLB aids rescue of lone British sailor

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McMurdo PLB aids rescue of lone British sailor

Thursday, 10 January 2008

A yachtsman was rescued on 4th January after activating his McMurdo FastFind Plus GPS Personal Location Beacon off the coast of Africa when his yacht got into difficulties in severe storms. The 1929 gaff rig cutter Mina was extensively damaged by waves leaving the yacht stranded.

22-year-old boat-builder James Baker was sailing from Portimao, in Portugal, to the Caribbean. He activated his McMurdo FastFind Plus PLB at 0053 which alerted the MCA (Maritime Coastguard Agency) and Falmouth Coastguard in Cornwall. The latter then coordinated the rescue operation and contacted the authorities in Morocco, Portugal and Spain. Following alerts to a number of vessels in the vicinity, an Orion aircraft from the Portuguese Navy found the yacht 74 miles west-north-west of Casablanca. Naval staff then directed the German commercial vessel, the MV Wappen Von Bayern, which recovered James around midday.

The information that the EPIRB (emergency positioning indicating radio beacon) registry had on file (all PLBs and EPIRBs must be registered at the time of purchase) enabled the MCA to contact James's parents immediately and establish vital information about his passage plan.

Mark Thomas, Falmouth Coastguard watch manager, praised the PLB, saying, "This is another incident where the use of an EPIRB to call for help proves to be immensely valuable. We would advise all sailors to have one."

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