TYNEMOUTH, ENGLAND, September 11, 2025
A solo sailor who was dramatically rescued from a vessel that ran aground in the north-east of England has told rescuers he had been at sea for 45 days.
Armed police and an Army bomb disposal team were called to King Edward’s Bay in Tynemouth on Wednesday evening after concerns were raised about suspicious items found aboard the sailing boat.
The one person on board, described as an elderly man, was assisted off the vessel by a lifeboat volunteer after two Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) crews rushed to the scene.
This followed reports of a vessel drifting dangerously close to rocks at about 8:00 p.m. (2000 GMT), sparking an urgent rescue operation.
The Tynemouth inshore lifeboat (ILB), which had been training at the time near Tynemouth’s north pier, was diverted to the emergency, according to helm James Waters.
He explained that they managed to put one crew member aboard the stricken vessel, who then helped the sailor onto the lifeboat as the boat ran aground at the south end of the bay.
The grounded vessel remained anchored at the same location on Thursday morning as investigations continued.
The Tynemouth lifeboat crew later accompanied the Cullercoats lifeboat, which had also been deployed to the scene, back to Cullercoats, where the rescued man was handed over to paramedics for treatment.
The RNLI confirmed: “A crew member from Tynemouth ILB was placed aboard the vessel to carry out an assessment.
“One person was found on board, who had reportedly been at sea for 45 days and was in need of medical assistance.
“With the vessel taking on water and pitching erratically with the sea conditions, the decision was made to extract the casualty from the vessel.
“Lifeboat crew cut away the guard rails for easier access and transferred the casualty onto the ILB,” Waters said.
“Today’s incident highlights the close working relationship between RNLI lifeboat crews and our partner agencies.
“Thanks to the swift response and teamwork between Tynemouth and Cullercoats lifeboats, Coastguard teams and the ambulance service, the casualty was brought safely ashore and received the medical attention they needed.” GMTNewsng
