August 20, 2005
RAF helicopter rescues stranded yachtsman in the River Axe
A yachtsman was winched to safety onboard an RAF helicopter at the River Axe, near Brean Down, on Saturday August 20th after he ran aground in TWO boats within just ten minutes.
Burnham-On-Sea’s Spirit Of Lelaina hovercraft was briefly put on standby by Coastguards just before 3pm as the incident unfolded at low tide.
Weston-super-Mare Coastguard was called to the scene after the man initially ran aground in his yacht in the middle of the estuary.
Minutes later, though, he got into trouble again when he jumped into a smaller craft to try and reach the shore – only for that craft to become stuck in the mud too, leaving him stranded.
A helicopter from RAF Chivenor was scrambled to pluck the casualty free from the mud and land him on Uphill beach, as our photos show.
An orange flare was set off on the beach to help the helicopter land safely.
A Swansea Coastguard spokesman told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “The owner was left high and dry in the mud and therefore either the hovercraft or helicopter were required. On this occasion, the helicopter was used.”
Both boats were refloated on the incoming tide later in the afternoon.
RELATED LINKS:
Official Burnham Hovercraft Web site home page
