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Published:
September 9, 2007
Coastguards
issue appeal after four-hour hunt for 'missing' speedboat
Coastguards
have appealed to boat users to ensure they are properly equipped
and have adequate communications before setting off to sea following
an incident at Brean,
near Burnham-On-Sea,
on Saturday evening (September 8th) in which they spent more than
four hours searching for a man whose vessel had apparently gone
missing.
 Swansea
Coastguards received a call from the friends of the skipper of
the 14 ft speedboat 'Amy-Jo' at 4.30pm.
The
'Amy-Jo' and another speedboat had been starting a trip out from
Brean at 3pm when it developed gearbox problems.
The
two vessels returned into Knightstone harbour and the accompanying
vessel took all of the crew of the 'Amy-Jo', other than the skipper,
back to Brean.
The
plan had been for the accompanying skipper to return to Knightstone
and assist the stranded vessel with repairs. However, when the
second vessel returned to Knightstone, 'Amy-Jo' and her skipper
disappeared.
The
second vessel then called Swansea Coastguard and a search was
initiated. Two Coastguard Rescue Teams from Weston and Burnham-On-Sea
began a shoreline search, as pictured above.
The
Coastguard rescue helicopter, Victor Alpha from Portland, was
scrambled and four RNLI lifeboats, two from Weston and two from
Burnham (pictured), were requested to launch.
After
4½ hours, Swansea Coastguard received a call to say that
the missing man was safe and well. He had worked on his vessel
to correct a repair and when the boat had re-started he had begun
to make his way back towards Brean.
The
vessel, however, had broken down again and he had limped into
Uphill Boat Yard. From there, he walked to his mother's caravan,
found her mobile phone and made a call to report where he was.
 Vince
Irwin, Swansea Coastguard Watch Manager, told Burnham-On-Sea.com:
"The skipper of this vessel was totally unprepared for the
trip that he was making or the possibility of any kind of emergency."
"He
did not even have a mobile phone with him, let alone a VHF radio.
We would always recommend that those going to sea carry a VHF
radio as well as emergency flares, so that if they run into difficulty
they can easily contact the Coastguard and other vessels in the
area as well as attracting attention via emergency flares. If
seafarers are not carrying a VHF radio or flares they could contact
the Coastguard by dialling 999 on a mobile phone."
"In
addition the 'Amy-Jo' was not carrying an anchor and did not have
navigation lights. We recommend that those setting out to sea
let someone on land know of their intentions in order that they
can contact the Coastguard should they not reach their destination.
Clearly, the skipper did not do this and we had no way of contacting
him either."
"The
Coastguard is always available to assist those in difficulty at
sea. However, these kinds of incidents waste resources and needlessly
put the lives of rescuers at risk."
RELATED
LINKS:
 Burnham-On-Sea
Coastguards official website
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