Five days adrift: foreigners rescued from sailing yacht
PHUKET: The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) on Sunday assisted with the rescue of four foreigners who had been adrift at sea on a damaged sailing yacht for five days.
The Canadian and British sailors were aboard the Malaysian-flagged yacht Kiss when the engine stopped working. Shortly thereafter, the lead mast on the boat cracked, followed by the sail ripping after it was hoisted up a secondary mast, explained a member of the RTN Third Area Command who declined to be named.
Maryse Doyer, 68; Jaques Doyer, 63; Andre Belzile, 73; and Colin David Osmond, 37, were rescued and brought on board the cargo ship MV Kota Teguh. Crew provided them food and water, and radioed the RTN for assistance.
“We received a report that an 11-meter-long yacht with four people was adrift just 52 nautical miles south of Phuket,” the RTN source said. “We immediately dispatched a rescue team.”
Kiss was towed back to the Navy port in Cape Panwa, arriving at the base at about 6:30pm Sunday.
The rescued sailors were taken to Vachira Phuket Hospital for recovery.
— Chutharat Plerin
