Injured sailor is rescued by Oban lifeboat
The volunteer crew of Oban lifeboat Mora Edith MacDonald were called to assist a sailor injured near the Isle of Easdale after suffering a dislocated shoulder and possible broken arm.
At 1.54pm on Tuesday August 28 Oban RNLI was asked by the UK Coastguard to assist a 12-metre yacht which had put out a distress call.
While sailing close to the Isle of Easdale, the sailing boat unexpectedly crash gybed. A crash gybe occurs when a boat is steered, or the winds shift, such that the boat’s stern unintentionally passes through the eye of the wind.
When this occurs the boom swings violently and uncontrollably from one side of the boat to the other.
The force of the boom’s motion can injure or kill crew, damage equipment, and even dismast the boat.
In this instance one of the two people on board was left with a dislocated shoulder and a possible broken arm.
Following the gybe, the other crew member on board regained control of the yacht and sent out an immediate distress call.
Oban lifeboat left the berth at 2.03pm, with eight volunteer crew aboard. This is more than the lifeboat would normally carry, but it was decided that an additional crew member was prudent to help with moving the injured sailor and sailing the yacht if needed.
Oban lifeboat arrived on scene at 2.33pm and immediately transferred three of the crew to the yacht.
Two of the crew checked the injured sailor over while the other two helped to bring the yacht into calmer waters to allow the man to be transferred to the lifeboat.
At 2.49pm, he was taken off the yacht along with the two lifeboat crew looking after him. An additional member of the lifeboat crew was then transferred to the yacht to help bring it into Oban.
The lifeboat left and headed for Oban, arriving back in the berth at 3.10pm where the injured man was transferred to Oban Coastguard team and taken to Lorn and Islands Hospital.
The lifeboat then went back out to rendezvous with the yacht and escorted it into the North Pier transit marina.
The lifeboat then returned