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Displaying items by tag: Motor Tanker Sea Marlin

14th September 2010

Tanker Assists Dismasted Yacht

At quarter past eight this morning, Falmouth Coastguard was contacted by the master of the Motor Tanker Sea Marlin. The crew of the tanker had received on their VHF radio a pan pan urgency call. They were able to identify from the call that a yacht had become dismasted and was in difficulty. They relayed the urgency call which was made by the yacht 's crew on their handheld radio to Falmouth Coastguard. Falmouth Coastguard asked the master of the tanker if he would turn around his vessel to provide a communications link and standby the yacht until the arrival of the lifeboat. He duly obliged and stood by the yacht and created a lee. The Penlee RNLI lifeboat was requested to launch and now has the yacht under tow and the tanker is continuing its passage. The German flagged tanker is on passage from Port Gerome, France to Providence in Canada and is 26,548 GT The yacht and the crew are believed to come from France.

Marc Thomas, Watch Manager, Falmouth Coastguard said: Due to the yacht becoming dismasted their communication capability was limited to their handheld VHF radio. They managed to make communication with the tanker as it was passing who then passed on the call to the Coastguard.

This incident is a good example of one seafarer assisting another when the yacht's options were limited due to its dismasting. We were pleased we were able to assist the French sailors.

Published in Coastguard

About the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race

The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race is undoubtedly one of the greatest ocean adventures on the planet, also regarded as one of its toughest endurance challenges. Taking almost a year to complete, it consists of eleven teams competing against each other on the world’s largest matched fleet of 70-foot ocean racing yachts.

The Clipper Race was established in 1996 by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first person to sail solo, non-stop, around the world in 1968-69. His aim was to allow anyone, regardless of previous sailing experience, the chance to embrace the thrill of ocean racing; it is the only event of its kind for amateur sailors. Around 40 per cent of crew are novices and have never sailed before starting a comprehensive training programme ahead of their adventure.

This unique challenge brings together everyone from chief executives to train drivers, nurses and firefighters, farmers, airline pilots and students, from age 18 upwards, to take on Mother Nature’s toughest and most remote conditions. There is no upper age limit, the oldest competitor to date is 76.

Now in its twelfth edition, the Clipper 2019-20 Race started from London, UK, on 02 September 2019.