Forcible rescue by the RNLI.

[Tranona]

If someone doesn't want to be rescued then we can give advice, but can't force anyone to do anything.

The exception is when they are intent on suicide or other self-harm, which my particular lifeboat gets called to quite often. In that case we can grab/restrain them, or do whatever is reasonably necessary, on the basis that they are not in a position mentally to make rational decisions.

There is a fine line between your two scenarios and if you followed the discussions on the video it was not clear initially which side of that dividing line the crew were on, but as it developed it became more clear - at least from the point of view of the crew.

Whatever the intended objective of the sailor it was clear that even survival was unlikely given his physical condition, never mind his mental state. So the choice became binary - leave him to die or persuade him to abandon his boat.

 

[Mark-1]

Just out of interest, reading between the lines he was sailing from Christchurch to Southampton. The report says he was five miles into the trip so that puts him somewhere North of the Shingles bank at the point he was rescued? Can someone confirm that?

Anyone know where they towed him to, and where he set of from when he was rescued the second time?

 

[bedouin]

The most annoying thing for me has been the silly siren noise which has been dubbed over every launch. The producers came across such a siren at one particular station when filming the previous series, and decided it should be heard everywhere.

Yes - I noticed that too.

I think there is a tendency in a lot of the commentry to over-dramatise the situation turning even the simplest rescue into a major drama.

It is a shame they can't show the unsuccessful shouts, that would add a lot to the realism and give a much better idea of what it is really like.

 

[Tranona]

Just out of interest, reading between the lines he was sailing from Christchurch to Southampton. The report says he was five miles into the trip so that puts him somewhere North of the Shingles bank at the point he was rescued? Can someone confirm that?

Anyone know where they towed him to, and where he set of from when he was rescued the second time?

No, he was sailing west from Christchurch so over Christchurch Ledge or a bit west.

 

[Mark-1]

No, he was sailing west from Christchurch so over Christchurch Ledge or a bit west.

West? I took the relevance of the Southampton Roadmap being that he was going to Southampton. Christchurch ledge is only a mile West of Christchurch entrance - he would have been well past that.

Anyone know his intended destination?

 

[KINGFISHER 9]

I remember back in the mists of time Richard Lethbridge (bowman) a family friend and crew on the Scilly Lifeboat Guy and Clare Hunter, 'Boy' Matt Lethbridge (cox) and Harry Lethbridge (engineer) ... Richard told me of the time they were called out by a ship who'd spotted him, to a guy in a punt, rowing down channel with some food and water aboard. They caught up with him half way between Scilly and Land's End ... told them he was rowing to Spain and didn't need rescuing thank you. Nothing they said would dissuade him so after an hour or so they left him to it. There wasn't an end to the story so he probably didn't make it!

 

[bobgarrett]

Audio quality was very poor but it was stated that he had said his destination was America.
As for forcible rescue, I watched it and I don't think he was manhandled as such; more verbally convinced and then assisted.
I think they did a good job in a difficult situation. The fact that he later set off again shows his lack of understanding and maybe mental status. I think the parallel with talking someone off jumping from a building is an interesting parallel though, of course, not all sailors are suicidal!

 

[Poignard]

Decades ago I read a report in the Bradford "Telegraph & Argus" about a man, not well-versed in matters nautical, who decided to return home to Pakistan by sea. He bought a very old 70-foot wooden narrow boat and set off through the inland waterways to the Humber Estuary, from where he planned to sail across to the nearest European shore, turn right and follow the coast until he arrived at Pakistan.

All attempts at dissuading him having failed, and there being no law to stop him, the Humber lifeboat awaited his arrival in the choppy waters of the estuary and courteously accompanied him on the few miles it took for the old narrow boat to fall to bits before picking him up and landing him in Hull to get the next train back to Bradford

 

[neilf39]

I thought they made it clear they can't 'forcibly' save someone and only took the action they did on advice from the coastguard. I presume they gave the instruction to get him off. Looks like they more or less persuaded him verbally anyway as minimal force was used.

The programme is over dramatized but then if they just said 'launched collected a slightly wet and cold person from rocks' no-one would watch. A lot of what they do is not very dramatic but necessary. Person trapped by the tide slips and drowns when the weather is fine is not very 'dramatic', but a disaster for the person(s) involved.

 

[Mark-1]

The programme is over dramatized but then if they just said 'launched collected a slightly wet and cold person from rocks' no-one would watch.

Fair enough, but it's frustrating when they distort the basic facts to jazz it up. Whether he was sailing to the USA or (say) Poole/Southampton is critical to the story and given the two very different versions on this thread the producers must have been very vague. (Or maybe people don't watch these shows very attentively.)

 

[lpdsn]

Decades ago I read a report in the Bradford "Telegraph & Argus" ...

There was a story about an academic who tried to sail across the Irish Sea from Dublin in a bath tub. He apparently had about 3" of freeboard and as he approached the Poolbeg Light he started taking on water. The skipper of the Pilot Boat that came alongside is reputed as saying "You're shipping a lot of water there. Would you not want to pull the plug and let it out." Although of course that might just be part of the tale.

 

[mjcoon]

...I think the parallel with talking someone off jumping from a building is an interesting parallel though, of course, not all sailors are suicidal!

And I note that "Mystery surrounds delayed release of new Donald Crowhurst movie".

Mike.

 

[mjcoon]

There was a story about an academic who tried to sail across the Irish Sea from Dublin in a bath tub. He apparently had about 3" of freeboard and as he approached the Poolbeg Light he started taking on water. The skipper of the Pilot Boat that came alongside is reputed as saying "You're shipping a lot of water there. Would you not want to pull the plug and let it out." Although of course that might just be part of the tale.

Especially an Irish tale?

Mike.

 

[lpdsn]

Especially an Irish tale?

Mike.

Indeed, it had become quite polished in the telling.

 

[NorthUp]

Fair enough, but it's frustrating when they distort the basic facts to jazz it up. Whether he was sailing to the USA or (say) Poole/Southampton is critical to the story and given the two very different versions on this thread the producers must have been very vague. (Or maybe people don't watch these shows very attentively.)

The information that the CG receive from whoever first raised the alarm is often inaccurate- as more up to date info is obtained a more accurate picture emerges hence the change in the story.
Yes, the viewer has to pay attention!

 

[TheEcho]

it's frustrating when they distort the basic facts to jazz it up. Whether he was sailing to the USA or (say) Poole/Southampton is critical to the story and given the two very different versions on this thread the producers must have been very vague

He apparently told the folk on the yacht he was sailing to the USA. They raised the alarm. As he was being warmed up after rescue he told the RNLI crew he was just sailing west for a bit and would get on a bigger boat to the USA. His English was very poor and he appeared confused. He had a stash of supplies but no charts for anywhere so his original intention can't be deduced from that, but there are many possibilities, including that his bad English caused a misunderstanding with the yacht sailors and he wasn't sailing to the USA. Or maybe he was initially sailing to the USA but told the RNLI he wasn't due to embarrassment/shame. Or maybe due to hypothermia or other mental problem he didn't even know himself. One can watch the show and form one's own opinion, but I am not sure that even without 'jazzing up' there are any 'basic facts' to come out of that guy's intentions!

 

[Tranona]

West? I took the relevance of the Southampton Roadmap being that he was going to Southampton. Christchurch ledge is only a mile West of Christchurch entrance - he would have been well past that.

Anyone know his intended destination?

You need to watch it instead of guessing. The lifeboat went south when it left Mudeford, rather than west and in one shot you can see Hengistbury Head on the starboard quarter of the lifeboat. As others have said, the information about his destination came from the yacht that was standing by.

He tried to do the same thing some time later but was again "rescued". The mention of the Southampton road map was in a list of things he had on board that were inappropriate. Don't think you can read anything into that, although from memory in the contemporary news reports they said he was living in Southampton at the time.

 

[Mark-1]

He apparently told the folk on the yacht he was sailing to the USA. They raised the alarm. As he was being warmed up after rescue he told the RNLI crew he was just sailing west for a bit and would get on a bigger boat to the USA. His English was very poor and he appeared confused. He had a stash of supplies but no charts for anywhere so his original intention can't be deduced from that, but there are many possibilities, including that his bad English caused a misunderstanding with the yacht sailors and he wasn't sailing to the USA. Or maybe he was initially sailing to the USA but told the RNLI he wasn't due to embarrassment/shame. Or maybe due to hypothermia or other mental problem he didn't even know himself. One can watch the show and form one's own opinion, but I am not sure that even without 'jazzing up' there are any 'basic facts' to come out of that guy's intentions!

Thanks.

 

[penberth3]

I imagine the police would have powers to detain him under the mental health act but not sure if those powers can be delegated by VHF

Smiley face icon suggests you know the answer! MHA defines who has power to detain, those powers can't be delegated to anyone else.

 

[RobF]

As I understand it it is the coastguard who can authorise any vessel to impose assistance on a casualty. The only instance I have heard of was a elderly man sailing to the UK from Belgium(?) who was reported overdue by his wife. He was in no difficulty other than delayed by light winds but he was forcibly towed in by the RNLI acting on HMC orders.

That was Michael Collis. In 2007, his boat (Gentle Jane) was taken in tow Under Protest. As a retired RN Commander and highly experienced sailor, Michael made a complaint and subsequently received a formal apology from the MCA.