May 30, 2019
Another tragedy at Borkum
Yesterday, at 0.15 am local time, a signal from MayDay arrived at the Dutch rescue center Dan Helder from a 13-meter yacht on channel 16.
The captain of a Dutch sailing yacht reported that the boat collided with an unknown floating object, a strong leak opened, which could not be stopped by the crew (two yachtsmen and a cat). The yacht was located about two nautical miles north of Borkum and threatened to sink. Immediately, the center Den Helder forwarded the emergency call to the Disaster Management Department of the German Society for the Rescue of Sunken Ships (DGzRS).
His experts notified the crew of the rescue ship Alfried Krupp, stationed on one of the islands of the North Sea. In addition, they turned for help to the Einshaven rescue bot JAN EN TITIA VISSER of the Dutch subsidiary KNRM and called the German Navy search and rescue helicopter.
But even before the arrival of the maritime rescue service, the German pilot boat FRESENA and the Dutch pilot boat LYRA approached the scene of the accident. The crew of the latter took on board a woman and a cat, the man initially did not want to leave his boat. Only after professional rescuers were on the scene, he switched to Alfried Krupp. There also passed and his wife with a cat. The yachtsmen did not suffer and, in spite of everything, felt well.
But to save the sailing yacht was impossible.
The Dutch rescuers tried to stop the ingress of water with a powerful bilge pump, but – although it turned out to be very strong – they failed. They had to abandon the idea of saving the sailing yacht. But, before she went under water, the crew of Jan en Titia Visser tried to drag her into the shallow waters.
But, unfortunately, a strong south-west wind (up to five points) did not allow us to accurately put the yacht on the sand. The ship sank. Now the cause of the accident will be investigated by the Wilhelmshaven water police.
119 May 30, 2019 # 9050
Chief Editor
