Crew rescued after fishing boat damaged by large waves off Cornwall
Six crew members have been rescued from a French fishing boat damaged by the waves off the north Cornwall coast.
Six people have been rescued from their fishing boat after it was damaged in the rough sea off the north Cornwall coast.
Falmouth Coastguard was first contacted about the French fishing boat Le Sillon just before 4pm this afternoon (1 February 2014) by the French Coastguard. They reported that the boat had been hit by a number of large waves and they had lost power and steering, and were drifting approximately 5 miles off Trevose Head. The wind at the time was gusting up to 60 miles per hour.
The RNLI all-weather lifeboat from Padstow, along with the search and rescue helicopter from RNAS Culdrose was sent to the scene. Five of the crew were picked up by the Royal Navy helicopter and the other crew member was recovered by the lifeboat. There are no reported injuries.
Martin Bidmead, Watch Manager at Falmouth Coastguard, said:
Attempts have been made to bring Le Sillon under tow, but conditions have been too difficult. It is still adrift at this time, but we are monitoring the situation.
Along our coastline tonight, conditions are treacherous with gale force winds, high tides and heavy rain.
Our advice is simple, please don’t take risks. But if you do get into difficulty, or spot someone who might be in trouble, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.
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