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Monday 3 February 2014

Video of Padstow lifeboat rescuing the skipper and crew of Le Sillon off Trevose Head at the weekend.



Video courtesy of The Local -  all the French news in English


At 33 seconds you can see one of the crew jump in the sea on the leeward side ready to be picked up by the navy diver.

Footage from the Padstow lifeboat shows her standing by the disabled Breton trawler Le Sillon late on Saturday night. SAR helicopter Rescue 193 from Culdrose was tasked to take off all six crew. Unfortunately, with winds gusting in excess of 60 mph and seas of 30 feet the helicopter could not afford to risk their diver being dropped on the deck to take off the crew. This then necessitated a dangerous move for the crew - all wearing survival suits (compulsory on French fishing vessels of this size) - to jump in the sea so that the helicopter's diver could pick them up in the water. All five crew were rescued in this way but the injured skipper - he had glass in his feet, legs and hands - had to be taken aboard the lifeboat first. He was treated at Treliske hospital before spending the night in Newlyn. The rest of the crew were all looked after by the mission in Newlyn.

The skipper recalls the moment just before the boat was hit - describing how she dropped off the top of a 30 foot sea, then he looked up only to see the next, a 50 foot wave heading for the boat which completely engulfed her and hit her hard enough to smash in his wheelhouse windows.