Man who tried to sail from Dorset to Ireland in a dinghy rescued
An American man who attempted to sail from Dorset to Ireland in a 6ft inflatable dinghy had to be rescued by the Coastguard.
A dive boat had to rescue a Captain Calamity sailor found bobbing around in a dinghy 3 miles off the Dorset coast
The sunburnt sailor, believed to be a 40-year-old American, had two paddles
on board, one of which was used as a mast with a plastic sheet attached as a
sail, and the other as a rudder.
He had only a limited amount of food and drink, and had to be rescued after
having made it only 2.7 nautical miles south of Durdle Door on the Dorset
coast.
Portland Coastguard received the distress call just after 3pm yesterday from a
range safety craft expressing concern for the man.
A dive vessel responded to the sighting and approached the dinghy to assess
the situation.
Portland Coastguard was informed that the sailor did not require any
assistance.
It later emerged he had left Osmington Mills, a few miles west of Durdle Door,
at 9am that morning. John Braisher, watch officer at Portland Coastguard, said: "This man was
extremely lucky to be found when he was.
"With no suitable communications equipment, limited life saving equipment and inadequate food and drink resources for his passage to Ireland, the outcome could have been very different.
"If you're planning to head out to sea, the key is to be well prepared. Inflatable dinghies, such as this, are unsuitable and not recommended for coastal passages of this nature.
"It's also vital to have appropriate VHF/DSC communications, life saving equipment and the resources to sustain a venture such as this person intended.”
Mr Braisher said the coastguard is “always willing” to discuss “passage plans” with people before they start their journey.
"With no suitable communications equipment, limited life saving equipment and inadequate food and drink resources for his passage to Ireland, the outcome could have been very different.
"If you're planning to head out to sea, the key is to be well prepared. Inflatable dinghies, such as this, are unsuitable and not recommended for coastal passages of this nature.
"It's also vital to have appropriate VHF/DSC communications, life saving equipment and the resources to sustain a venture such as this person intended.”
Mr Braisher said the coastguard is “always willing” to discuss “passage plans” with people before they start their journey.
...And below is how you do it properly.......
Dinghy sailor completes 76-day circumnavigation of Britain
Ludo Bennett-Jones, 21, has finished a record-breaking journey around the British Isles by dinghy, an achievement described as "incredible" by Dame Ellen MacArthur.
Ludo Bennett-Jones (left) off the coast of Scotland
A 21-year-old sailor has completed a 76-day circumnavigation of the British
Isles by dinghy, despite some of the worst weather in centuries, making him
the youngest and fastest to have completed such a journey.
Ludo Bennett-Jones finished his loop around Britain when he sailed into the
East Cowes Marina on the Isle of Wight just before lunchtime today, where he
was greeted by family and well-wishers, including Dame Ellen MacArthur.
His 2,500-mile circuit of the British coastline, which he made in a two-handed
Wayfarer dinghy, began in the same place on April 28.
The recent inclement weather caused substantial delays to the journey in a
boat that is just 16-feet long, with Mr Bennett-Jones spending 29 days stuck
on land due to the conditions.
Speaking from the East Cowes Marina, he said he was "shattered… but
excited to be back on land."
He added: "We set off in the rain – I have heard it is the worst in 230 years – and finished in the rain, so it was somewhat fitting."
He also needed to be towed due to a snapped rudder as his boat passed Hastings, and cited his most hair-raising moment as the six hours he spent sailing into a 25-knot wind off the north-west coast of Scotland.
Highlights included two weeks of sunny weather in the waters off Scotland, where he frequently spotted dolphins. Dame Ellen MacArthur, who completed a solo circumnavigation of Britain at the age of 19, described his journey as "incredible".
"It took me a bit longer than Ludo," she said. "I can honestly say some of the conditions you experience around Britain can be extremely challenging.
"Obviously we have bad weather, but also you’ve got sandbanks, rocks, vertical cliffs on a coastline where you have no chance of landing a boat even if something does go wrong, whereas out in the open ocean you don’t have that.
"It’s an incredibly difficult journey to undertake in any boat, but the boat Ludo has got is tiny.
"It’s got no cabin, no real protection at all and to go round in 76 days in a boat of that size is fantastic."
Mr Bennett-Jones, whose journey was sponsored by BT, has raised almost £40,000 for Sport Relief and the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, which takes young people sailing to help them recover from cancer and other serious illnesses.
He added: "We set off in the rain – I have heard it is the worst in 230 years – and finished in the rain, so it was somewhat fitting."
He also needed to be towed due to a snapped rudder as his boat passed Hastings, and cited his most hair-raising moment as the six hours he spent sailing into a 25-knot wind off the north-west coast of Scotland.
Highlights included two weeks of sunny weather in the waters off Scotland, where he frequently spotted dolphins. Dame Ellen MacArthur, who completed a solo circumnavigation of Britain at the age of 19, described his journey as "incredible".
"It took me a bit longer than Ludo," she said. "I can honestly say some of the conditions you experience around Britain can be extremely challenging.
"Obviously we have bad weather, but also you’ve got sandbanks, rocks, vertical cliffs on a coastline where you have no chance of landing a boat even if something does go wrong, whereas out in the open ocean you don’t have that.
"It’s an incredibly difficult journey to undertake in any boat, but the boat Ludo has got is tiny.
"It’s got no cabin, no real protection at all and to go round in 76 days in a boat of that size is fantastic."
Mr Bennett-Jones, whose journey was sponsored by BT, has raised almost £40,000 for Sport Relief and the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, which takes young people sailing to help them recover from cancer and other serious illnesses.
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