The KNMR was alerted at 05.16 on Sunday morning. The yacht, which was on its way from Germany to the Wadden Sea, ran aground between the islands. As a result, the keel broke through the hull and the ship quickly created water. The four experienced sailors immediately got on their life raft and sounded the alarm via their mobile phones. They also activated the emergency radio beacon of their sailing yacht and took it into the raft.
Within half an hour, the lifeguards saw the raft bobbing in the waves in the moonlight. There they found the four crew members of the sailing yacht, seasick from the float and numb from getting wet as they climbed onto the raft. “But they were especially relieved because they were rescued,” said skipper Peter Terpstra. “Judging by the hypothermia symptoms of the men, it should not have taken much longer. If these sailors hadn’t had an emergency radio or mobile phone with them. , then it would probably have ended very differently.”
All four had hypothermia symptoms. “But with some medical assistance, warm showers, tea and dry clothes, they slowly recovered.” The men were taken to a hotel by the municipality of Terschelling and provided with appropriate clothing. The same day, the men took the ferry to the mainland, where family was waiting for them. The battered sailing yacht was later picked up by a towage and salvage company.
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