rescued by the Coast Guard (VIDEO)

Complex rescue operation conducted by the Coast Guard from yesterday afternoon until dawn

There had been no news for days of a man of Spanish nationality who had begun, on 11 April, a solo sailing from the island of Crete towards Sicily, aboard a 12-metre sailing vessel.

After receiving the information from the Piraeus rescue center (Greece) and acquiring a satellite signal indicating the possible presence of the unit 110 miles from Cape Spartivento (about 200 km from the Calabrian coast), the rescue machine was set in motion. Coast Guard rescue coordinated by the Maritime Directorate of Reggio Calabria, with a plane taking off from Catania, a patrol boat leaving from Roccella Jonica and two merchant ships diverted to the area in search of the vessel.

With very bad weather conditions, 40 knots of wind and worsening seas, the “Black Bit” was finally spotted by the Coast Guard aircraft, with its lone navigator who managed to send out light signals to be identified, and then reached – in the middle of the night – from the CP311 of Roccella Jonica which took the unfortunate man on board, finally saving him.

After the initial treatment provided on board the patrol boat, the adventurous sailor was entrusted to the 118 health workers upon arrival at the port of Roccella this morning.