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A simple outing turns into a nightmare
Reported by the Dutch magazine "De Telegraaf", this story could have ended badly. Setting off for a simple sail on Halloween, a German solo sailor anchored off De Kreupel, an artificial island classified as a bird protection area. During the night, a gust of wind caused his anchor to slip. His engine wouldn't start and the yacht ended up drifting onto a rocky spur.
Without a working VHF, distress beacon or charged telephone, the yachtsman was cut off from the world. The tailing caused water ingress: he tried in vain to pump water, before abandoning ship and walking to the island.
Alone in the world, but in the Netherlands
For two and a half days, the castaway tried to survive with the means at hand. Without food or fresh water, he sheltered as best he could under a sail transformed into a tent. Temperatures plummeted, winds remained strong, and the total absence of traffic on the water at the end of the season reduced his chances of rescue.
On Sunday morning, a passing sailboat spotted the stranded wreck and raised the alarm. Rescuers from the KNRM (Royal Dutch Sea Rescue Institution) were soon on the scene, discovering the man on the island, weak and confused.
Saved in extremis
Taken in charge by the emergency services, the shipwrecked man was brought back to the Andijk marina, where he received dry clothes, food, medical care and emergency accommodation. Exhausted but unharmed, he confessed to having feared for his life on several occasions during his isolation.
The lifeboat captain, with twenty years' experience, said he had never been faced with a comparable situation on the IJsselmeer.
A reminder of safety fundamentals
In its press release, the KNRM insists that this episode, although it ended well, could have turned tragic. The organization calls on yachtsmen to follow the basic instructions: VHF in good condition, telephone charged, rockets on board, and rigorous checking of the weather forecast before going out. For their part, the Dutch authorities have begun refloating the stranded yacht.
