ANOTHER NIGHTMARE AMATEUR SAILOR

YET ANOTHER NIGHTMARE AMATEUR SAILOR

Seems like silly season is well underway for one amateur yachtsman at least, who has been nicknamed ‘Captain Calamity’. The solo skipper of the 12m Stravaig has been rescued twice in 24hrs already! He first called Swansea Coastguard on his mobile whilst drifting nine miles south of Mumbles Head. He reported the loss of all electrical power, had no navigation lights and that his hand help GPS was low on battery and was subsequently towed in by a Mumbles RNLI lifeboat. Exactly 24 hrs later he was back on the blower saying he’d run out of power again and was towed to Barry by the Barry Dock lifeboat.

Swansea Coastguard Watch Manager, Dave Jones had this to say about the latest scourge of the Bristol Channel, 'When we give out safety advice to people going out for a trip in a yacht we recommend that people take adequate communications and navigational devices, flares, and check their engines... Unfortunately, this man followed none of this advice and set out not once, but twice, knowing that he did not have sufficient power to reach his destination... All of the rescue resources tasked to this man's two rescues have been volunteers and we hope that the yachtsman will consider fully equipping and preparing his vessel before continue his journey in order that we do not have to send them out to his rescue for a third time.'

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