lenseman
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Furious RNLI chiefs were left with a bill of thousands of pounds after a lifeboat was sent twice in 48 hours to save the same yachtsman – who was using a road atlas to navigate at sea.
In the first drama, Andy Brown had to be saved after he got lost in the middle of the North Sea and wailed to a passing ship, ‘Er, excuse me, which way is it to Hull?’
His 19ft yacht was towed to shore - but two days later he had to be rescued again when he ‘missed’ a harbour channel for boats and ran aground.
The skipper of the yacht Aloysia has received a public dressing down from the RNLI who say the cost of saving him twice over will be thousands of pounds.
They were astonished that Mr Brown appeared to be trying to make a sea voyage using an AA-style road map and without any proper marine charts, radio communications and adequate safety precautions.
The first rescue happened around three o' clock on Thursday morning when the yacht was spotted, apparently lost and going in circles, in the North Sea off the Norfolk coast.
The captain of a ship working at the Sheringham Shoal wind farm 14 miles out to sea reported the bewildered yachtsman had hailed his crew, shouting ‘Which way is Hull?’
Route: Andy Brown was attempting to sail from Great Yarmouth to Hull. On his second voyage he ran aground after missing the harbour channel at Wells
Cromer's all-weather lifeboat Lester was launched and found the yacht wandering forlornly.
A spokesman said ‘The yachtsman was trying to get from Great Yarmouth to Hull without navigational aids and he was totally disorientated - he wasn't sure where he was.’
Rescuers towed the yacht to the safety of the shore and passed it on to another lifeboat, which took it to Great Yarmouth.
Dave Moore, watch officer at Yarmouth Coastguard on the east coast looking out over the North Sea, said ‘The yacht had none of the recommended safety equipment like VHF radio or flares nor navigation aids such as GPS or even charts.
‘This incident was the third in the last few weeks involving recently-purchased craft that were inadequately prepared for the sea. Purchasing a craft over the internet can certainly be problematic.
Ill-equipped: Mr Brown was trying to navigate around the North Sea using a road map (posed by model)
Ill-equipped: Mr Brown was trying to navigate around the North Sea using a road map (posed by model)
‘People get over-enthusiastic with their new purchase and often over-estimate their ability and under-estimate the possible dangers.
‘Especially at the start of the good weather we see an increase in ill-equipped craft and untrained sailors getting into trouble off our coast.’
The second rescue happened yesterday when the Aloysia ran aground after missing the harbour channel at Wells, just down the coast from Cromer.
The Wells inshore lifeboat was launched and the rescue services were astounded to discover it was the same yacht.
Wells lifeboat coxswain Allen Frary said he was alerted by harbourmaster Bob Smith that the Aloysia had run aground on the west side of the harbour channel.
Mr Frary said ‘He went out on the morning tide but apparently turned back because of engine problems.’
He said the craft was stuck fast on the sand, and he and lifeboat operations manager Chris Hardy remained on standby as the yachtsman tried to refloat her.
Then, at around noon, they paged the inshore lifeboat crew, which launched to take the vessel in tow and see it safely to a mooring near the harbour office.
Mr Frary said the sole crewman on board, named as Andrew Brown, appeared to have changed his original plan to sail from Yarmouth to Hull and had instead been making for the Wash port of Boston.
He added that Mr Brown appeared to be ‘using a road atlas to navigate’ rather than GPS and charts and was relying on a mobile phone to liaise with the coastguard.
Mr Frary said huge gusts were blowing...a ‘good south-westerly wind’.
He added ‘I'm trying to find a printable way of putting it - I think the man was completely foolhardy, really.
‘It is absolutely unacceptable for people to put to sea without basic navigational equipment and safety equipment.
‘He is putting his own life at risk and wasting the time and resources of the RNLI.’
Each rescue was reckoned to cost the charity about £3,500, Mr Frary said
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...D-ATLAS-navigate-North-Sea.html#ixzz1zT2bcpH1
In the first drama, Andy Brown had to be saved after he got lost in the middle of the North Sea and wailed to a passing ship, ‘Er, excuse me, which way is it to Hull?’
His 19ft yacht was towed to shore - but two days later he had to be rescued again when he ‘missed’ a harbour channel for boats and ran aground.
The skipper of the yacht Aloysia has received a public dressing down from the RNLI who say the cost of saving him twice over will be thousands of pounds.
They were astonished that Mr Brown appeared to be trying to make a sea voyage using an AA-style road map and without any proper marine charts, radio communications and adequate safety precautions.
The first rescue happened around three o' clock on Thursday morning when the yacht was spotted, apparently lost and going in circles, in the North Sea off the Norfolk coast.
The captain of a ship working at the Sheringham Shoal wind farm 14 miles out to sea reported the bewildered yachtsman had hailed his crew, shouting ‘Which way is Hull?’
Route: Andy Brown was attempting to sail from Great Yarmouth to Hull. On his second voyage he ran aground after missing the harbour channel at Wells
Cromer's all-weather lifeboat Lester was launched and found the yacht wandering forlornly.
A spokesman said ‘The yachtsman was trying to get from Great Yarmouth to Hull without navigational aids and he was totally disorientated - he wasn't sure where he was.’
Rescuers towed the yacht to the safety of the shore and passed it on to another lifeboat, which took it to Great Yarmouth.
Dave Moore, watch officer at Yarmouth Coastguard on the east coast looking out over the North Sea, said ‘The yacht had none of the recommended safety equipment like VHF radio or flares nor navigation aids such as GPS or even charts.
‘This incident was the third in the last few weeks involving recently-purchased craft that were inadequately prepared for the sea. Purchasing a craft over the internet can certainly be problematic.
Ill-equipped: Mr Brown was trying to navigate around the North Sea using a road map (posed by model)
Ill-equipped: Mr Brown was trying to navigate around the North Sea using a road map (posed by model)
‘People get over-enthusiastic with their new purchase and often over-estimate their ability and under-estimate the possible dangers.
‘Especially at the start of the good weather we see an increase in ill-equipped craft and untrained sailors getting into trouble off our coast.’
The second rescue happened yesterday when the Aloysia ran aground after missing the harbour channel at Wells, just down the coast from Cromer.
The Wells inshore lifeboat was launched and the rescue services were astounded to discover it was the same yacht.
Wells lifeboat coxswain Allen Frary said he was alerted by harbourmaster Bob Smith that the Aloysia had run aground on the west side of the harbour channel.
Mr Frary said ‘He went out on the morning tide but apparently turned back because of engine problems.’
He said the craft was stuck fast on the sand, and he and lifeboat operations manager Chris Hardy remained on standby as the yachtsman tried to refloat her.
Then, at around noon, they paged the inshore lifeboat crew, which launched to take the vessel in tow and see it safely to a mooring near the harbour office.
Mr Frary said the sole crewman on board, named as Andrew Brown, appeared to have changed his original plan to sail from Yarmouth to Hull and had instead been making for the Wash port of Boston.
He added that Mr Brown appeared to be ‘using a road atlas to navigate’ rather than GPS and charts and was relying on a mobile phone to liaise with the coastguard.
Mr Frary said huge gusts were blowing...a ‘good south-westerly wind’.
He added ‘I'm trying to find a printable way of putting it - I think the man was completely foolhardy, really.
‘It is absolutely unacceptable for people to put to sea without basic navigational equipment and safety equipment.
‘He is putting his own life at risk and wasting the time and resources of the RNLI.’
Each rescue was reckoned to cost the charity about £3,500, Mr Frary said
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...D-ATLAS-navigate-North-Sea.html#ixzz1zT2bcpH1
