U.S. Coast Guard Aids Rescue of Dismasted Yacht off BVI

 

On Tuesday, the U.S. Coast Guard helped Dutch and British partners rescue a yachtsman whose vessel was disabled off the British Virgin Islands. 

The skipper, 58-year-old French national Frank Rouvray, was operating single-handed on a voyage to Saint Martin. As he neared the island of Anegada in the British Virgin Islands, his yacht was dismasted, then lost propulsion due to lack of fuel. He activated his EPIRB and U.S. Coast Guard Sector San Juan received the distress signal. The command center dispatched a Jayhawk SAR helicopter out of Air Station Borinquen, Puerto Rico to search the scene, and it also broadcast a request for assistance to nearby merchant shipping. 

The helicopter aircrew located the yacht - the Topaze - and made contact with Rouvray, albeit with difficulty due to a language barrier. A Royal Marine Police boat from the British Virgin Islands arrived later in the day and established a tow to bring the Topaze safely into the harbor at Tortola. 

"The EPIRB distress signal and the efficient communication and coordination between all Coast Guard elements and those of our Dutch and British Virgin Islands partners led to the successful rescuer," said Lt. Cmdr. Lukas Rodríguez, Sector San Juan Search and Rescue mission coordinator for the case. "Having the right emergency communication equipment onboard can make the difference between success and failure."