On Thursday May 23, 60 miles off the mouth of The Chesapeake Bay, the 45-foot sailing yacht Trilogy suddenly caught fire. The singlehanded skipper struggled to extinguish the fire but was unable to.
The skipper, a 58 year old man who was unnamed in the Coast Guard report, set off his EPIRB, donned his immersion suit and escaped the blaze in his dinghy.
The Fifth Coast Guard District Command receive the 406-megaherta EPIRB emergency signal at about 830 pm and immediately dispatched a HC-130 Hercules and a Jayhawk helicopter. The also issued an AMVER alert to all vessels in the vicinity.
With GPS coordinates from the EPIRB signal, the two aircraft could make a beeline to Trilogy’s position. The HC-130 arrived at 1010 pm with the Jayhawk 40 minutes behind it. The Jayhawk crew quickly rescued the skipper, who was not injured, and flew him to Norfolk for further medical examination.
“Due to this mariner’s diligence to have an EPIRB on board his vessel, rescue crews were alerted to his distress and arrive in a timely manner,” said Lt. j.g. Erin Bellen, search and rescue operations unit controller with Fifth Coast Guard District.
“This mariner also had filed a float plan with a family member, which the Coast Guard always recommends even for short day trips. He also had an immersion suit, which he had put on prior to getting in the dinghy. All these actions and planning for a maritime emergency helped save his life.”
