Epirb Saves Young Sailor off Morocco

by southdevon.co.uk/Sail-World Cruising on 6 Jan 2008 Once again the Epirb has proved as a potential life saver, when coastguards from Cornwall were able to co-ordinate the rescue of a young sailor off the the coast of Africa. They contacted the authorities in Spain Portugal and Morocco, and Portuguese Navy sent out an aircraft to locate the sailing boat. Finally a commercial vessel was in the area was directed to take the sailor on board.

James Baker was sailing from Portimao, in Portugal, to the Caribbean yesterday when he was hit by extreme storms that left him stranded in his 1929 gaff rig cutter Mina.The 22-year-old boat-builder, who is thought to be from the Newton Abbot area and has twice sailed the Atlantic before, was forced to stay with the damaged vessel after his dinghy was smashed by the waves.

He set off his Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon, which alerted Falmouth Coastguard in Cornwall.












They then coordinated the rescue operation and contacted the authorities in Morocco, Portugal and Spain. At 9.30am, 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 to recover Mr Baker.

His 54-year-old father, Jeremy, said he is extremely relieved his son is safe and well, having been contacted by the Coastguard at around 1.30am saying the emergency beacon had been turned on.

Jeremy added: 'When we first got the phone call, there is a moment of panic and then silence as you realise there is nothing that you can do.

'We kept ringing every few hours to find out what was happening and were told James was picked up this morning.

'I've just spoken to him. He's extremely tired and he is upset that he has lost the boat.'

Mr Baker said his son had been lovingly restoring the boat for the past two years and he had lived on board during that time.

He was heading to the Caribbean, where he had been offered work.

Jeremy said: 'Mina has been his home. He has been living and working on it for the last two years. He has lost everything - all his things, all his tools.'

Mr Baker praised the work of the Coastguard and thanked them for their efforts.

He said: 'They were fantastic. You read about rescues in the news but you do not realise how far away they can coordinate a rescue and how efficient they can be.'

A spokesman for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said Mr Baker had been looked after by the crew of the MV Wappen Von Bayern, who were going to drop him off in Gibraltar.

It is understood he will stay there for a few days in the hope of recovering the drifting Mina.

Mark Thomas, Falmouth Coastguard watch manager, said: 'We are grateful to all involved in this incident for the successful rescue of this sailor.