GREEN AZURE

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Tanker rescued single hand sailor

The 'Green Azure', en route from Houston, assisted in the rescue of a single hand sailor along with the Royal Air Force on the Atlantic Ocean after his yacht 'Heidi' (MMSI:257756650) was battered by the storm Ciaran on Nov 2, 2023, in pos. 47 55 05 N, 020 36 08 W, approximately 600 nautical miles southwest of Lands' End. The sailor issued a distress call late that day after his yacht had capsized, lost both masts and took on water around 700 miles off the Cornish coast. A French Navy FA50 Falcon jet was initially sent by the CROSS Etel to find the yacht and check the sailor was alive, then, at first light of Nov 3, an RAF Atlas A400M was launched and then a Poseidon from 201 Squadron took responsibility for the task. The Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft made sure the sailor remained on board during the rescue. If he had fallen overboard, the jet would have had to drop life rafts and a survival equipment capsule for him. The plane's crew guided the 'Green Azure' to the position to rescue the sailor, and the RAF worked closely with UK and international agencies, including HM Coastguard, to return him to safety. The tanker pulled the sailor aboard at 3 p.m. and arrived in Rotterdam with the man on board on Nov 7 at 8.50 a.m. UTC. Report with video: https://www.forces.net/news/raf-aircraft-rescue-stricken-sailor-stranded-atlantic-storm