The yacht suffered a problem in the engine room during the morning leaving the craft at the mercy of wind and currents, so they called for help at 13.30h.

The couple and the wife’s brother-in-law had set off from Puerto Banus with the intention of reaching Aguadulce in Almería but instead they were trapped for five hours onboard surrounded by raging surf.

On the beach, rescuers (amongst them Guardia Civil officers, Red Cross volunteers and the Motril Fire Service) waited for sea conditions to improve.

The wind was too strong to use a Guardia Civil rescue helicopter and the crew refused to enter the water. Finally, at 15.00h, they were able to begin the rescue operation, concluding around 18.00h.

So how did the rescuers get the crew off the stricken yacht? It was the fire service who came up with the idea of using ladders. They managed to wade out to the side of the boat and prop a ladder against it for the crew to climb down.

To combat the low temperature of the water, they dressed in neoprene suits provided by Cruz Roja, who have such equipment as they are used to working out at sea, rescuing immigrants which sometimes means that they have to enter the water.

One of the rescuers, who spoke French, shouted to those onboard, explaining how they were going to get them off. They replied that the woman was suffering from cancer and other ailments and needed special ‘handling.’

The two dogs, mastiffs, were a bit more problematic and were hoisted over in a sort of makeshift harness.

Obviously, the operation had attracted many curious bystanders who applauded the last person off – the captain naturally, when he reached the beach.

As for the yacht, worth approximately 450,000 euros (at least until now), Guardia Civil divers (GEAS) inspected the hull for damage and found a small breach and it also appears that one of the portholes was smashed and water poured in up to the level of the cabins.

Any plan to recover the yacht will depend on whether it can be refloated and towed to Motril Port or if it is not seaworthy enough for even that short trip, then it will have to be salvaged on the spot; i.e. scrapped and removed.

Either way, any plan of action has to be approved by Capitanía Marítima (Ministerio de Fomento). If it is to be scrapped, then first 6,000 litres of fuel will have to be extraced to avoid a spill.

 

(News: Carchuna, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)