Moment police save stranded yacht during storm

By James Gamble via SWNS

This is the moment police saved a terrified couple after an unexpected storm hit their 40ft yacht off the Essex coast.

Roy Harris and partner Caroline Wilson were sailing in their vessel, the Samphire, when a storm whipped up and took them by surprise.

After the yacht became damaged Harris sent out a distress call requesting emergency assistance.

Essex Police's Marine Unit was scrambled and found the couple near the Gunfleet Sands off-shore windfarm, four miles off Clacton.

Officers bravely rescued the couple - who had been scared for their lives - and brought both them and their yacht back to shore.

Harris and his partner had been sailing back to the River Crouch in Essex from Kent's Isle of Sheppey last Sunday (August 25) when they suddenly hit stormy conditions.

Having been sailing for more than six hours, the storm - which hadn't been forecast - damaged the yacht, which began taking on water.

The exhausted couple radioed a PAN-PAN message to alert nearby boats and emergency services that their vessel had an urgent problem.

Sergeant Alex Southgate, PC John Perry and special constable Scott Mccabe were on Operation Wave-Breaker patrols in the force's rib, Sentinel, when they picked up the distress call and rushed out to the Samphire.

Working with the Dover Coastguard Operations Centre, they located the yacht and rescued the distressed couple.

Harris heaped praise on Essex Police's maritime unit for saving their lives and admitted he wouldn't have sailed had he known they would have hit a storm.

"When Alex leaped onto the boat, touched my arm and said, ‘You’re safe now’, it was such a comfort," he said. "I had been scared for my life.

"The officers should be recognized for their bravery – they don’t just nick criminals, they save people’s lives.

“We sailed for six to seven hours in good conditions but then the water started whipping up and, when we turned into the Crouch, the wind caught the tender (dinghy) on the front of Samphire, the jib sheet broke, the ropes got tangled and water started pouring through the hatch.

“I became exhausted very quickly and sent a PAN-PAN. I didn’t want to call for assistance because the airwaves were busy but I had no choice.

“The Essex Police Marine Unit turned up out of the blue – I wasn’t expecting them at all.

“I can’t express my gratitude and appreciation enough. I feel like my life has been saved."

Sgt Southgate added that the storm saw waves crashing over the Samphire, making their approach dangerous.

“It was a very windy day," he said.

"Large waves were crashing over Samphire, making our approach particularly dangerous, but PC Perry’s skill and judgment at the helm enabled him to get Sentinel safely alongside.

“He timed everything perfectly with the wave movement and the rising and falling of the yacht to allow me to safely cross over and board the yacht.

“Having done this, I was able to check the crew and ascertain that the skipper was suffering from severe sea sickness and was in a state of shock.

"Once we’d checked everything over, I was able to take control of the yacht and steer it to the safety of Brightlingsea Harbour.

“During all of this, SC Mccabe kept us in touch with Dover and our own control centre, which was vital.

“Shortly after I’d boarded Samphire, the Burnham-on-Crouch lifeboat and the Gunfleet Sands Windfarm crew transfer vessel attended the scene.

"It’s great to know everyone’s got each other’s back at sea."

Due to the stormy conditions and the Samphire's damaged sail, the journey to shore took more than two hours on rough seas instead of the 45 minutes the trip would take in normal conditions.

“The Essex Police Marine Unit’s top priority is to keep members of our marine communities safe on land and water and a key part of our role is search and rescue," Sgt Southgate said.

“Thankfully, we were out on Operation Wave-Breaker patrols in the area that day and were able to locate Mr Harris and his partner in time.”

Essex Police's Marine Unit runs Operation Wave-Breaker between April and September each year to tackle anti-social behavior and promote water safety, mounting high-visibility patrols along the Essex coastline to keep those in the water safe.

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