A dramatic rescue took place yesterday, as three sailors from a French sailboat were rescued by crew members from the Mein Schiff 1 cruise liner.
According to the Crew Centre, rough seas had affected the sailboat and crew as they sailed south of the Azores while taking part in the annual transatlantic regatta from the Canaries to Saint Lucia, Caribbean. Unfortunately, one crew member had fallen, and had died from his injuries.
At the time of the request for help, the vessel was located 500 miles southwest of Madeira. The rescue was undertaken by the Ponta Delgada Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC Delgada), who contacted the captain of the Mein Schiff 1, which was due to dock in Funchal yesterday morning. After having made a detour, members of the ship’s crew were able to organise and carry out a successful rescue mission.
A video of the rescue operation was released by Bild.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
