Skipper Mike Hallgarth (67) had been sailing his 37ft vessel with two crew across the Irish Sea, from Bangor to Portishead. He was heading home on the last leg of a voyage up the east coast of the UK that had started in May.
Disaster struck late on 17 August when the mast came away leaving the vessel, Glad Eye Moody, powerless in the dark on choppy waters.
Mike, who has a decade of sailing experience, said “there was no warning” when the mast went down.
Using the engine ran the risk of fouling the propellor on the wreckage hanging over the port side, but with debris flailing around it was too dangerous to go on deck to cut the rigging away.
The situation facing the crew of the sailing vessel was bleak
The radio appeared not to work, due to the aerial being underwater, but a Pan Pan broadcast for help was sent “in the blind” – not knowing whether it had been received.
But the call was picked up by a nearby freighter which approached and, via handheld radio, was able to relay messages to HM Coastguard’s Belfast Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC).
Mike said: “It was a bad situation but all three on board held RYA Day Skipper qualifications, so were confident of the safety procedures and there was no panic.”
Crucially, the yacht was carrying an emergency position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) and the crew having a personal location beacon (PLB) on board.
For the sake of a few hundred quid, I would recommend everyone to get at least one
When the EPIRB was triggered at about 1.30am on 17 August, it alerted Belfast MRCC to Mike's position midway between the Isle of Man and Strangford Lough on the east coast of Northern Ireland.
That was followed up by the PLB, adding another signal to guide rescuers through the darkness towards their location.
Both were registered with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, so Mike and his vessel could be instantly identified by the signal.
Mike said: “I would say the EPIRB and PLB were a key feature, and the only hope given the apparently not working radio. They send out the distress signal and give the exact position of the device.
“For the sake of a few hundred quid, I would recommend everyone to get at least one. It’s essential and must be up to date and with its batteries tested.”
Now it’s all finished, I am more conscious of the severity of the situation
The RNLI's all-weather lifeboats from Peel, on the Isle of Man, and Donaghadee were sent, supported by the HM Coastguard helicopter from Caernarfon and an Irish Coast Guard helicopter.
Peel lifeboat was able to find the vessel and safely bring Mike and his two crew, all wearing lifejackets, back to Peel harbour – just seven hours after the alarm was raised.
Mike said: “Now it’s all finished, I am more conscious of the severity of the situation we were in. But at the time it was about taking logical steps.”
From his experience and training, Mike knew to use the full range of communications at his disposal to raise the alarm:
- With poor reception on his mobile phone, he managed to make a short 999 call to HM Coastguard
- The radio system was unable to receive but could still broadcast a Pan Pan which was relayed by a nearby cargo ship
- A strobe light and flare were used to attract the attention of a nearby vessel and lifeboats.
Coordinating the rescue operation from Belfast MRCC was Norman Bridge, a Senior Maritime Operations Officer with HM Coastguard.
Norman said: "The situation facing the crew of the sailing vessel was bleak: difficult communications, a badly damaged mast, and choppy conditions in the darkness of the Irish Sea miles from land.
"But they were kitted out properly with an EPIRB and PLB, which made a big difference to how quickly we were able to find them and bring them to safety."
PLBs broadcast a location on the same 406MHz frequency as bigger EPIRBs but are designed to be worn on the body, rather than on a vessel or liferaft, and are always manually activated.
For more safety tips, visit hmcoastguard.uk/onboard
