Unsuccessful search for a wisely moored boat
Last Monday, the Corsen Surveillance and Rescue Operational Center (CROSS) received a call from the firemen at around 10:40 p.m. to report the disappearance of a sailing boat, the Petite Ourse II. The family, worried, had warned them indicating that they had received no news of the two sailors, aged 41 and 43. The sailboat had left Saint-Cast and was heading for the islands of Guernsey or Jersey. The Cross of Corsen tried to reach the sailboat by VHF and telephone but after several unsuccessful attempts they decided to send the Falcon of the French Navy. Around 4:20 am, the Falcon reached the search area between Saint-Cast and the Normandy islands. The search was also unsuccessful. As it was returning to the base to refuel and change crew, the boat was found.
Tuesday, June 17, in the early morning, a passenger of the sailboat contacted his family from the island of Jersey. The sailboat had arrived without any problem in Saint-Hélier, where it had docked at 6 pm the day before. Apparently the family did not receive the SMS to inform them of their arrival and the port of Saint-Hélier, where the boat had been towed, and aware of the alert did not react
Costly false alarms
In order to prevent these false alarms, the prefecture reminds sailors to make their loved ones aware of the situation so that they do not give in to anxiety too quickly, and to inform them of their position and their navigation. A major search has been deployed to find this sailing boat that has arrived safely in port, an operation that represents a high financial and human cost for the rescue services.
