Sailor rescued after running aground

Friday the 13th turns sour for solo sailor with no safety equipment

With no lifejacket, no safety equipment and no navigational charts, and running low on fuel, a man sailing from Plymouth to Portsmouth on Friday the 13th must have thought the gods were with him.

It turned out not to be such a good evening after all though, when just east of Exmouth, and thinking it would be safe anchorage, the man ran aground on the sands at Rodney Point. This is at the beach near Orcombe Point that's accessible along the beach from Exmouth at low tide. 

Happily, he had the good fortune to be not far from Exmouth lifeboat station. The RNLI, who reached him in the inshore lifeboat within three minutes of being called, found a passer-by had gone into the sea, at risk of injury himself, to try to prevent the 20-foot sailing boat from hitting the rocks.

One member of the lifeboat team went on board the troubled boat to attach a tow line, and pulled the casualty clear. He was escorted to the safety of Exmouth Marina, where volunteers gave him "safety advice" and suggested he didn't continue on his way to Portsmouth that night. They say he "seemed to have limited knowledge of both sailing and the local area."

Deputy Launching Authority Rick Newcombe says: "A brisk breeze and waves exposed the shore. The Crew volunteers performed a classic recovery and rescue carried out with speed and fine seamanship. The skipper had believed Rodney Bay to be a safe anchorage, in the prevailing conditions force 3/4 southerly, it was in fact a dangerous lee shore.'

Helm David Preece adds: "People going to sea really should think about the ‘what ifs’. If things go wrong and you don’t have suitable equipment, then things can go very wrong, very quickly. You need to be prepared for every eventuality and have the right training, lifesaving equipment and communications before setting off, whether it be on a yacht or kayak."