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Published:
May 18, 2008
Burnham
Coastguards' search for missing man ends successfully
A
speed boat owner who went missing for more than 12 hours in the
Bristol Channel near Burnham-On-Sea was found safe and well on
Sunday evening (May 18th) after a huge sea search involving Coastguards,
lifeboats and an RAF helicopter.
Burnham-On-Sea
Coastguards were among the seven teams tasked with searching for
the missing man after he'd set sail from Weston Sailing Club at
7am on Sunday and not been seen again, prompting a concerned friend
to raise the alarm.
The
man had apparently been up all Saturday night and had been drinking
when he decided to take his 12 foot speedboat out at 6.30am to
visit one of the islands in the Bristol Channel.
 An
RAF helicopter from Chivenor in Devon joined lifeboats from Weston,
Minehead and Barry Dock in sweeping a large area of the Bristol
Channel during Sunday evening, while Burnham's Coastguard team
took up a vantage point on Brean Down, as pictured, to help locate
the man.
The
breakthrough came when a flashing light was spotted on the island
of Steep Holm by the Burnham Coastguard team.
"Through
our binoculars, we saw the light of a flickering torch on the
island. The helicopter was used to confirm the light was coming
from the missing man, who had been trying to alert the emergency
services," said Burnham Coastguard Officer Steve Bird.
"His boat had capsized and sunk close to Steep Holm and he'd
swum ashore. He's a very lucky person to be alive and this incident
clearly demonstrates the importance of having proper safety equipment
when going to sea."
The
man was taken into the Weston Lifeboat and arrived safely ashore
at 10.20pm. He did not require medical attention.
Swansea
Coastguard Watch Manager Eric Birkett added: "We are pleased
to report that after an evening of intensive searching by a large
number of search and rescue resources the missing gentleman has
been found safe and well."
"The
man took out his 12 foot, 20 horsepower speedboat this morning,
and although he brought with him a lifejacket he was not equipped
with flares or a radio."
"As
he approached Steep Holm Island at 9am the speedboat's engine
cut out and the vessel began taking on water. The man swam to
the island's shore, by which time the speedboat had disappeared.
He remained there until he was located by the helicopter at half
past nine this evening."
"The
man on board this vessel was completely unprepared for this trip
both in terms of his abilities and the equipment on board. We
would always recommend that those going to sea carry a VHF radio
with them as well as emergency flares so that if they run into
difficulty they can contact the Coastguard as well as raising
the alarm by attracting attention to themselves."
"Undoubtedly
both the lifejacket that was brought along as an afterthought,
and the concerns of this man's friend, saved his life today."
Our
photos show the scene of Sunday's incident from Brean Down
Several
lifeboats were used in Sunday evening's search
Coastguards
spotted a flickering torch light on Steep Holme
Foot
searches of the rocky shores of the Down and nearby rivers were
carried out
The
Coastguard team's search from near Brean Down fort ended successfully
when the missing man was found
RELATED
LINKS:
Burnham-On-Sea Coastguard Web site
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