Essex Police rescue two people from stricken yacht after sudden storm

An Essex Police Marine Unit rescued two people earlier this month when their yacht got into difficulties off the coast of Clacton after a sudden storm whipped up.

Roy Harris and his partner Caroline Wilson were sailing back to the River Crouch from Kent on Sunday 25 August when the storm hit.

With his yacht, the Samphire, taking on water and its sail rope torn, Mr Harris 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 rib Sentinel when they picked up the distress call.

Working with the Dover Coastguard Operations Centre, they located the 40ft-yacht near an off-shore windfarm, four miles off Clacton.

Due to the weather conditions and the yacht’s damaged sail, the rescue journey took more than two hours in rough seas – it would usually take 45 minutes in normal conditions.