45 ft yacht runs aground

MONDAY, 21 FEBRUARY 2011 17:46

Four units of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) on Monday teamed up with the Coast Guard and the Harbour Master's office to provide assistance to 3 Norwegains whose 45-foot yacht ran aground off Fort Milford, in southwest Tobago in the early hours of the morning.
The 60-ton yacht "Firstprice" broke its moorings off Store Bay around 4 a.m and drifted with the sea current some 500 feet ending on some rocks. On board were Captain Jakob Halvorsen and crew member Sigurd Berger Lindstol, as well as his cousin Erik William Lindstol.
Halvorsen said when he discovered the yacht drifting, they tried to start the engine but it was too late as the current kept pushing it towards the rocks. He made a distress call to the Coast Guard, whose officer summoned the Emergency Ambulance Service to pick up the injured persons. Sigurd was taken to the Scarborough regional Hospital for treatment.
The Tourism Division ensured he was comfortable and arranged for TSTT to provide a cellular phone which was topped up by the Division and dry clothing was also provided. Halvorsen was high in praise for the assistance given to them by the THA Tourism Division, TEMA and the Coast Guard, as well as the ambulance and hospital staff that attended to Sigurd. The yacht, Firstprice, had a gaping 12-foot hole along its bottom, while its rudder was completely broken off.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• sailing
• tobago
• shipwreck
• store bay
• firstprice