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A man who fell overboard in the Channel yesterday was rescued thanks to a joint effort by the UK and French authorities.
At 1630 Solent Coastguard received a Mayday from yacht Red Herring, who reported that the skipper of yacht Vordor had fallen overboard 35 miles south of the Needles, Isle of Wight.
The French authorities scrambled a helicopter and a rescue boat from Cherbourg, and St Peter Port radio assisted with communications. Solent Coastguard directed the French helicopter to the scene using a computerised search plan.
When the helicopter arrived they found the man alive and conscious but in a distressed state. They winched him into the helicopter and took him to Pasteur Hospital in Cherbourg.
The man, who was from Surrey, was taking part in the single-handed Petit Bateau yacht race from Southampton to Cherbourg, and was one of the organisers. The race zig-zags down the English Channel with six stopovers in England, France and the Channel Isles.
Mike Greiner of Solent Coastguard said: 'He is a very fortunate man. We would recommend that all single-handed yachtsman wear a safety harness and be clipped on while on deck. This incident highlights the close professional co-operation between ourselves and our French partners in the work of search and rescue. It also highlights the accuracy of our computerised systems.'
Alison Panes / Practical Boat Owner, 21 June 2005
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