The 12-metre-long vessel, which had set sail from the Portuguese capital of Lisbon, sent out a distress signal late on Monday night from the Atlantic Ocean.
A 62-year-old Frenchman survived for 16 hours at sea using the air left under his boat after it capsized.
The 12-metre-long vessel, which had set sail from the Portuguese capital of Lisbon, sent out a distress signal late on Monday night from the Atlantic Ocean.
The Spanish Coast Guard found the overturned boat, but the sea was too stormy to save him – so the 62-year-old had to wait until morning. His survival was “on the verge of impossible,” coast guard divers said.
His vessel sent a distress signal at 20:23 local time on Monday, 22.5 km from the Cisargas Islands, near Spain’s northwestern region of Galicia.
A rescue ship carrying five divers as well as three helicopters set out to find and rescue the man, who has not yet been named.
“Every saved life is our greatest reward”
This is how the rescue was carried out yesterday by Salvamento Marítimo to the crew of the French sailing vessel JEANNE SOLO SAILOR that was sinking 14 miles NNW of Islas Sisargas. pic.twitter.com/gqobWTSoWc
— SALVAMENTO MARÍTIMO (@salvamentogob) August 3, 2022
A diver crawled into the ship’s hull to look for signs of life, and the man responded by knocking from inside. However, the sea was rough and the sun had set, so the rescue team attached flotation balloons to the boat to prevent it from sinking and waited until morning.
The next day, two divers swam under the boat to help the 62-year-old out. He was found wearing a neoprene survival suit and submerged in water up to his knees.
The man then jumped into the icy water and swam under the boat to the surface of the sea.
In a tweet, the Spanish Society for Maritime Safety and Rescue said: “Every life we save is our greatest reward.”
Vicente Cobelo, a member of the coast guard’s special operations team, said the 62-year-old entered the water “on his own initiative” but added divers helped him out as he had difficulty getting out of his wetsuit. Eventually, he was taken to the hospital for checks.
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