04/2015 - Man overboard north of Alderney

11/11/2015

The Channel Islands Air Search aircraft, call sign Air Search One, was called out by Cross Jobourg MRCC at 1315 hrs on Wednesday 11th November 2015, to search for a 59 year-old man who had fallen off a catamaran sailing vessel north of Alderney.

The service was tasked to search an area south of Cap de la Hague, off the Normandy peninsula.

There were already other search assets in the area, including a French helicopter, a French naval ship and the Alderney Lifeboat.

It was reported that the yacht had deployed a life ring with a light attached, to the man in the water.

The aircraft took off at 1340 hrs, and was on the scene at 1355 hrs.

An Air Search crew member said "A search pattern was established using a creeping line ahead at track spaces of 0.25 mile spacing, and the search was conducted at a height of 200 feet.  The visibility was good, and several objects investigated on the surface.  At 1540 hrs the life ring that had been deployed was spotted and the aircraft held overhead of it until we were able to talk the Lifeboat Roy Barker onto the ring which they then retrieved."

"The search was then continued until 1650 hrs when there was no longer sufficient light to continue.  The aircraft was then released and returned to Guernsey."

The aircraft landed at Guernsey at 1700 hrs, having been airborne for three hours and 20 minutes.