Peter’s not sure how in those brief moments he’d gone from freeing a couple of slightly snagged lines to being trapped beneath his sailing boat. “Everything just happened in seconds”, he says.
“Perhaps it’d been a sudden and unexpected gust of wind threw me out… I still don’t know what caused it, but something had clearly knocked the boat over and thrown me beneath the water and under the hull.”
Conditions seemed fine when 69-year-old boating enthusiast Peter Thomas took to the water in Starcross, East Devon. Sailing solo along the River Exe, Peter was enjoying his 21-ft sailing boat, Kittiwake, a gaff sloop-rigged centreboarder built in 2021.
“Kittiwake is reasonably quick for a gaff-rigged boat, it’s got light carbon spars and a good set of sails – a good modern boat, really,” says Peter, a boating enthusiast from West Dorset.
“I suppose the objective for me has been getting on the water every other week. But the last few years, the weather hasn't allowed me to go as frequently as I'd hoped.”
Just after reaching the river’s mouth near Dawlish Warren, Peter spotted that his vessel’s reefing lines were a bit tight. “I headed the boat up into the wind to bring the mainsail towards the centre of the boat so that I could un-cleat and adjust the lines. The next thing I knew, I was in the water!”
“Very quickly I needed to decide which way to swim, and being tethered, I was surprised to find myself stuck beneath the boat. Luckily, I swam in the right direction and reached the surface. By then, the boat had righted herself and headed off.
“The boat was quite happy with the way I’d set the sails once I wasn’t aboard and headed off on her own course without me! Normally it’s impossible for the boat to sail a straight course for long without a hand on the tiller to stop her luffing up but unfortunately, not this time. I tried to get back over the side, but I just couldn’t get aboard.
“The boat had one safety ladder, but it was on the wrong side! I decided to unhook and try to grab at the aft mooring cleat as I floated past the rudder – I’d hoped to bring the boat into the wind to stop it, and then use the ladder.”
But Peter had already missed his chance and in typical fashion, the vessel did exactly what it was designed to do, sailing off with gusto under a fair wind.
“I quickly realised that the next opportunity for help was with my Personal Locator Beacon (PLB), which was activated automatically from within my lifejacket. The aerial had released and popped out, but I thought I should check that it was functioning properly.”
While checking his PLB, Peter spotted several sailing boats passing about 100 metres away but they sailed past without noticing him.
“Suddenly I had a thought... My mobile phone. There it was under water in my jacket pocket! I had a look and to my amazement it was still working, so I called 999 and asked for the Coastguard.
“It was difficult for the operator to hear me and as each wave went over me, I had to put the phone in the air to try and keep it dry. I could only manage a couple of words at a time.”
While speaking with the Coastguard, Peter noticed a large motorboat heading towards him at pace. Passing close, the skipper heard Peter’s shout and stopped to pull him aboard.
Soon after, Exmouth RNLI arrived, and Peter was transferred to the all-weather lifeboat and they set off to recover Kittiwake. Having checked that Peter was fit and well, the crew accompanied him and Kittiwake back to the boat’s mooring.
Reliving the experience is difficult for Peter, who feels that being prepared saved his life. He says: “My biggest concern at the time was being hit by a vessel but for any boater, I’d say pay attention to signals and alerts that suggest someone’s in trouble.
“It’s very easy to think that when you hear an AIS distress message, it’s not happening nearby, but it could be! When I got back to the Sailing Club, there was someone else who’d been out for the day and he said, “I heard two Mayday relays on my radio while out.
“To be fair he was a bit preoccupied with his own vessel’s engine problems but, perhaps like the two boats that sailed past, he assumed that the event was happening somewhere else!
“Both my PLB and my lifejacket played huge part in my rescue. Once I’d decided to un-tether from the boat, I felt secure in my lifejacket, which held my chin above the waterline, and my PLB was brilliant.
“It was so reassuring to know that the Coastguard could see the alert and match up my details. They straight away knew who to search for and where.”
Because Peter’s PLB was fully registered and his data was accurate and up-to-date, coastguards could immediately gather his name, address and important vessel details and launch a rescue.
Though he still considers himself a keen amateur, Peter says it’s important to continually check that everything is in place for if things go wrong.
Several years ago, a fellow club member carried out an RYA boat safety inspection of one of Peter’s previous boats and the advice learned that day is something he still uses today.
“I still follow the guidance and tips I picked up back then, and I’ve made improvements to my safety provisions since the incident – I’ve added another ladder on the other side of the vessel, I’ve attached my VHF radio to my belt, and I carry a set of personal flares when I’m sailing.
“Part of me wants to forget the whole episode, but at the same time I feel I have a responsibility to repay my debt to the lifeboat crew and HM Coastguard. I’d like to do whatever I can to help others prepare, should the worst happen!”
Reduce the risk and boost your skills
- Wear a lifejacket and ensure that it is regularly serviced
- Purchase a 406MHz Personal Locator Beacon and keep it with you while on the water
- Let others know your plans, where you’re going and when you’ll be back
- Check over your vessel before putting it back into the water for summer
- Consider a training or skills refresher course to boost your knowledge
- Test out your man overboard drills and emergency plans
- Request a free printed boating safety checklist to keep on board
- If you’re in danger at the coast, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard
