The Spanish Coast Guard worked around the clock in rough seas to rescue a 62-year-old Frenchman who spent 16 hours aboard his capsized sailboat off the coast of Galicia, northern Spain, on Monday.
Emergency services said he survived because he was wearing a special suit used in sailing competitions.
The boat named Jeanne SOLO Sailor sent out a radio signal at 8:23 pm on Monday, when it was 22 km from the Sisargas Islands, the coast guard said.
One of three helicopters deployed to respond to the call arrived in the area and spotted the sailboat turned upside down an hour later, just before sunset.
One of the divers went to look for signs of life, and the sailor guided the rescue team by hitting the walls of the hull.
The rescue team, which included five divers equipped with rebuoyancy balloons weighing 5 tons each, held the boat to prevent it from moving as they worked in rough seas at night.
Once the boat was trapped, two divers with an oxygen tank dived in to inspect the wreckage and found that the ship’s door was open and the sailor was alive.
Divers helped him and he was later transferred by helicopter to a hospital for examination.
Source: CNN Brasil
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