The Fishing Trip

We fish from a small fishing cove called Cadgwith, which is the most southern point of England in Cornwall. I am a commercial fisherman working my 24 foot beach boat (equipped with our VHF and EPIRB) with my crewman. We work a mix of hauling pots and nets depending on the time of year. 

This day, November 12, 2022, started as normal, and we set sail from the cove around 06:00. The days’ task was to haul in our crab pots which are 6 to 7 miles out to sea. The conditions in the morning were a bit choppy with the wind running against the tide. As the day went on, the tide changed and the wind decreased a bit. 

We were having a good day hauling our crab pots and on the last string of pots for the day. Hauling the pots as normal and didn’t feel or hear anything different whilst hauling them. We finished and I went into the wheel house to bring the boat onto a course to shoot the pots back into the water. 

Finding the Flood

As soon as I got into the wheel house and started to steam the boat, I felt something wasn’t quite right with the boat in the way she was sitting and responding. I tried to alter course to make her react but she didn’t respond to this. It was at this point I knew something was terribly wrong and we must have water below deck in the vessel. 

In a matter of seconds, water then started to come over the gunnel and I knew that there was nothing we could do except abandon ship. 

I reached for the VHF and tried to hold the digital distress button down, which takes 5 seconds to activate. The boat was listing really bad now and was about to capsize. I didn’t have enough time to get a distress out and had to climb through the wheelhouse window and popped up in the water beside the upturned hull of my fishing vessel. Luckily it was also beside my crewman so we knew both of us made it out and could help each other in the water.

Needing Rescue

After a few minutes, the vessel finally sunk completely and we were both left floating in the sea 6 miles from land knowing no one knows there is an incident happening out here. 

Finally the life raft popped up beside us and we both swam to it and climbed in, still knowing no one knows we are here. Then we spotted the EPIRB floating nearby with its strobe light flashing.

We paddled the life raft over to the EPIRB and attached it to the raft. 

We were then picked up by the local lifeboat, some 50 minutes later. There was a helicopter on scene as well and also 2 of the local fishing boats from Cadgwith that joined the search. 

The vessel was lost but we are so glad both crew made it back to dry land.