Sailboat Capsizes, Man Rescued
Beschreibung
OAK BAY - Exhausted and cold, an Oak Bay man is left with no other option Wednesday morning but to simply cling to the keel of his overturned sailboat and wait for help.
It was a solitary last stand off Willows Beach that went on for up to half an hour. as those on shore who called 911wondered how much strength the man had had left. I kept thinking he wasn't going to hold on long enough to get rescued says one witness.
He did hold on, and the Coast Guard Auxiliary arrived and brought the man aboard. He was hypothermic but wanted to stay with his boat. Oak Bay Sea Rescue attempted to right it for him, but those efforst were cut short when it was determined the shivering man needed medical attention.
The man was brought to Oak Bay Marina, checked over by paramedics, and released
Rescue crews stop short of saying the man shouldn't have been out sailing alone in such challenging conditions, but they do say the sudden spike in wind shouldn't have come as a surprise. People should definitely check the weather and be very cautious before going out in weather like this on a small vessel says Jerry Hunter of Coast Guard Auxiliary Unit #33 - Oak Bay Sea Rescue.
Other boaters who tried to get near the man before the Coast Guard Auxiliary arrived say the wind whipped up in a matter of seconds. As soon as I dropped my head sail down, I started to get pushed toward the beach, and I realized in a matter of minutes I'd be on the beach if I didn't get out of there says boater Andrew Madding.
It was a solitary last stand off Willows Beach that went on for up to half an hour. as those on shore who called 911wondered how much strength the man had had left. I kept thinking he wasn't going to hold on long enough to get rescued says one witness.
He did hold on, and the Coast Guard Auxiliary arrived and brought the man aboard. He was hypothermic but wanted to stay with his boat. Oak Bay Sea Rescue attempted to right it for him, but those efforst were cut short when it was determined the shivering man needed medical attention.
The man was brought to Oak Bay Marina, checked over by paramedics, and released
Rescue crews stop short of saying the man shouldn't have been out sailing alone in such challenging conditions, but they do say the sudden spike in wind shouldn't have come as a surprise. People should definitely check the weather and be very cautious before going out in weather like this on a small vessel says Jerry Hunter of Coast Guard Auxiliary Unit #33 - Oak Bay Sea Rescue.
Other boaters who tried to get near the man before the Coast Guard Auxiliary arrived say the wind whipped up in a matter of seconds. As soon as I dropped my head sail down, I started to get pushed toward the beach, and I realized in a matter of minutes I'd be on the beach if I didn't get out of there says boater Andrew Madding.