In a co-ordinated effort between rescue authorities, Canadian Skipper William MacBrien, who was competing in the Global Solo Challenge, has been rescued from his semi-submerged vessel more than 1300 nautical miles west of Cape Horn.

Published 3 months ago

While we don’t normally report on yacht racing, this report on how William was rescued demonstrates the mechanics of a succesful rescue attempt and the importance of a float plan/passage plan, filed with family or friends on shore prior to departure.

Source:  Global Solo Challenge

According to a report on the Global Solo Challenge website, William was over 1300 nautical miles west of Cape Horn, over 3000 miles from New Zealand and 1600 miles south of the tiny remote Island of Mataroa, when he activated an EPIRB indicating he was in distress.

William had sailed past Point Nemo just a few days before, the remotest point from any emerging land on the planet. He was closer to Antarctica than to South America where he was headed in his quest to circumnavigate the globe solo, non-stop by the three great capes in the Global Solo Challenge (GSC).

The signal from William’s EPIRB was relayed via satellite to the Coast Guard of the country of the boat’s flag, in this case the Dutch Coast Guard. The initial response is to verify if the distress is not accidental.

As soon as it was confirmed with the owner of the boat that William was indeed at sea taking part in the Global Solo Challenge, the Dutch Coast Guard immediately contacted the Search and Rescue center responsible for the waters where the distress signal originated. In this case MRCC Chile in general and MRCC Punta Arenas in particular.

The GSC organisers hold a dossier for every participant to facilitate the exchange of information to ensure no precious time is lost in an emergency situation. Within minutes MRCC had all relevant information on the boat, the skipper, as well as identification photos, a detailed description of the boat details, construction, watertight compartments, reserve flotation and most importantly contact details for the skipper, his email and whatsapp – which he used with Starlink – as well as his emergency handheld satellite phone numbers.

The story of how William was eventually rescued in a co-ordinated effort between GSC organisers, MRCC Chile/Punta Arenas, the Dutch Coast Guard and the cargo vessel Watatsumi, is well worth reading via the following link.

Global Solo Challenge:  William MacBrien Rescued after 46 hours semi-submerged in the South Pacific.

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Related Links:

• Global Solo Challenge
• INSIGHTS: Helping your Friends and Family Help You (Viki Moore)
• Safety: The Importance of a Float Plan (Glen Tuttle – BoatWatch)
• Creating a Float Plan: What and Why (SV Totem)

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