Red flare fired after yacht loses mast off Scottish coast
11/10/2022
The skipper of a yacht that has lost its mast off the Scottish coast used a red flare so they could be seen by rescuers.
Largs RNLI’s Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat R A Wilson, under the command of the station’s latest qualified Helm, Angus Fergusson, was asked to launch one afternoon in October.
Facing gale-force winds, it was difficult to locate the 18-foot yacht in the North Ayrshire waters, so the skipper was asked to fire a red flare.
The lifeboat crew spotted it and quickly found the yacht. They went on board and assessed the health of the crew, but none was believed to have been injured when the rigging fell.
The yacht was towed to more sheltered waters on the east side of Great Cumbrae island where the rigging and mast were secured to the side of the yacht, which was then towed to Largs Yacht Haven.
Appointed helm
Angus Fergusson says, ‘When my pager went and I ran out to the car I knew the conditions were not favourable, with strong winds and squalls coming through on a frequent basis, which meant that we needed to get to whoever was in trouble as quickly but as safely as possible.
“When I arrived at the station and told that I was the appointed helm for this call out, I said to myself, ok you have had the best training around, you have a vast sailing and powerboat knowledge from your work so let’s now put that into action.
“I had two other helms with me and another crew member on this shout, meaning that we had some of the best people on board for a call out of this nature. The other helms on board definitely put me at ease.
“I am so glad to have completed my first call out as helm, and for it to be one of this nature. I was glad that all my RNLI training clicked into action straight away.
“Following this incident I would advise any yacht skipper to make sure all crew onboard are accounted for and not injured, after dismasting. The second thing is to ensure you have a secondary means of communication to call for help if required.”
The image of Angus Fergusson is credit of RNLI/Claire McRae.
