Skip to content

UK coastguard co-ordinates Falklands sailor rescue

News imageBBC The waterfront viewed from the sea at Stanley in the Falkland Islands. Houses and buildings fill the hillside and most of the buildings are white and many of the roofs are brightly coloured - either red, yellow or green. The sea is dark but calm. A large white sign on the waterfront says Welcome to the Falkland Islands.BBC
The solo yachtsman was taken back to Stanley by a fishing trawler

A solo yachtsman who survived a night in a damaged vessel in the South Atlantic has thanked coastguards 8,000 miles away in the UK for co-ordinating his rescue.

Steve Winn was sailing to Chile from the Falkland Islands on 17 September when his yacht collided with an object, thought to be a shipping container, in Argentinian waters.

The islands' maritime authority notified the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre (JRCC) in Fareham, Hampshire, which contacted co-ordination teams in Argentina and Spain.

Working together, they located the yacht 108 nautical miles (200km) south-west of the islands.

More news from the South of England

Mr Winn was picked up by a fishing trawler the following day.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said the stricken sailor spent the night pumping water from the damaged bow of his vessel and his anchor had also run out, making it hard to manoeuvre.

The Falkland Islands Maritime Authority said Mr Winn was rescued at 05:00 local time by a fishing trawler - one of three vessels called to assist - before boarding a fisheries protection vessel back to Stanley.

Mr Winn said: "It was obviously a relief to step off the boat.

"I kept busy and focussed so didn't feel any noticeable duress but maybe a day or three later I caught up on lots of missed sleep."

News imageSteve Winn Steve Winn holds up a flask cup while standing next to a memorial stone. He is surrounded by snow and is wearing a black winter jacket and a grey woolly hat. He has a large full grey beard and is wearing blue tinted sunglasses.Steve Winn
Steve Winn said it was a relief to step off his damaged boat

Posting on the MCA's Facebook page, Mr Winn said: "Thanks for everything guys and, despite La Marguerite's demise, I live to fight another day."

Commenting on his yacht, he wrote: "Being where I was and the damage caused, she just wasn't going to make it. She did remarkably for 24 hours and kept me alive."

News imageFalkland Islands Maritime Authority The black and grey Falklands fisheries protection vessel - Lilibet - with a red and white helicopter flying above it. The words Fisheries Protection are written in large letters down the side.Falkland Islands Maritime Authority
Steve Winn was transferred to FPV Lilibet (pictured) after being picked up by trawler Festeiro

HM Coastguard network commander Rob Priestley said the outcome was "a credit to all the search and rescue authorities involved".

He said it also demonstrated their work with "international partners across the planet to provide help to mariners".

A spokesperson for the Falkland Islands Maritime Authority said: "We hugely value our well-rehearsed links to the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Fareham, which regularly supports us during maritime incidents and provides us with a gateway to global maritime search and rescue communications."

You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X, or Instagram.

More like this
Related internet links