Brixham Coastguard this morning rescued two men from their motorboat Andiano as she drifted without power towards rocks off Plymouth
Brixham Coastguard received a Ch16 Mayday call this morning from the 30ft motorboat Andiano. The call reported that Andiano was drifting without power in either engine about 150ft off Little Mew Stone in Wembury Bay near Plymouth.
The Coastguard relayed the Mayday to all vessels in the vicinity and the MOD Police launch Excalibur was first to respond followed by RIBs launched from the patrol vessel HMS Anglesey and RFA Grey Rover. Both men onboard, one from Sussex and one from Cornwall, were recovered from Andiano and taken to HMS Anglesey for a medical check-up and thereafter by Excalibur to Plymouth.
At 1000 GMT, shortly after the rescue, Andiano was reported to be stranded on rocks on her side and not recoverable. She is expected to break up over the next few days.
“The quick response to this incident may be attributed to other vessels maintaining a vigilant watch on VHF Ch16,” said Stuart Elliman, Brixham Coastguard Watch Officer. “They were able to offer immediate assistance that led to the safe recovery of the crew. The weather on scene for undertaking this operation was reasonable with a west-southwesterly Force 5 wind, a moderate sea, 1.5 metre swell and good visibility.”
