Man rescued from sea after falling off yacht

A MAN was rescued from a harbour yesterday morning after spending more than an hour in the water clinging to a buoy after falling off a yacht.

The 61-year-old was rescued after holidaymakers staying in a waterfront flat in Padstow, Cornwall, heard his cries for help and raised the alarm at 2am.

The man, who was not wearing a lifejacket, was rescued by the RNLI lifeboat from nearby Rock after coastguards, with the aid of a local fishing boat and its crew, used bright lights to locate him in the dark.

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Peter Bullard, the watch manager at Falmouth Coastguard, said: “We believe the casualty had been sailing single-handed when he fell off his 36-foot yacht as he attempted to moor it to a buoy.

“The yacht’s engine was still running when he fell into the water and it moved away.

“Had this casualty not been able to hang on to the buoy and had his calls not been heard there may have been a very different outcome to this incident.

There is inherent risk when sailing single-handed. We recommend that a lifejacket should always be worn when on deck.”

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