Rescue at sea.
Documented rescue incidents from the Logbook — 47 records, each with sources, lessons, and the SeaWise procedures that address it.
← Search & filter the full LogbookThese are the accounts where it came right — crews taken off by lifeboat, helicopter or a diverted ship. Read together they show what makes a rescue possible: a distress call with a clear position, a means of being found (EPIRB, flares, AIS, VHF), and a crew who stayed with the boat and worked with their rescuers rather than against the sea. A good rescue is usually the payoff of good seamanship in the hour before it.
On 6 July 2026, a small sailing catamaran capsized near the Rüter Horn shoal on Schweriner See, Germany. Unable to right it, the skipper swam about 50 metres to the water police station to raise the alarm, while the second crew member stayed with the hull. Both were recovered unharmed.
Between 22 and 24 August 2026 the Portuguese Navy coordinated the rescue of two French sailors from their yacht about 484 nautical miles north-east of Sao Miguel in the Azores. The boat was drifting with serious mast damage and no steering. A Spanish fishing vessel took the pair off, and they were later transferred to a Greek tanker in good health. The yacht was left behind.
Before dawn on 8 July 2026, a sailboat carrying two adults and six children began taking on water off Fort Monroe, at the mouth of the Chesapeake near Hampton, Virginia. The crew reached Hampton Police and the Coast Guard; a Hampton fire boat and the Coast Guard converged on the position around four in the morning. All eight aboard were rescued, with no injuries reported.
On 26 September 2026 the Australian-flagged 15.5 m yacht Tai Tam struck a whale about 250 nautical miles north of Norfolk Island and began to sink. Her four crew activated their EPIRB and abandoned into a liferaft. An RNZAF P-8A Poseidon found them, and the cargo ship Sofrana Surville picked all four up unhurt early the next morning.
A yacht ran aground near the Port Austin Reef Lighthouse, at the tip of Michigan's Thumb on Lake Huron, around late June 2026. Local coverage reported two people rescued without injury. A separate Coast Guard account from the same period describes a single injured sailor hoisted by helicopter after a Lake Huron grounding near Port Austin — whether these are one incident or two is not confirmed.
About 7 a.m. on 5 July 2026 a 30-foot sailboat was lost roughly five miles east of Hornby Island, in British Columbia's Strait of Georgia. The two men aboard said a rogue wave smashed her windows and flooded her, and she sank, leaving them in whitecapped seas. A Comox charter skipper heard their Mayday on VHF, raced over in his fishing boat, and with a helicopter overhead helped recover both. The Coast Guard took them to hospital; both survived.
On the afternoon of 11 October 2026 the German-flagged sailboat Hai Hamburg, a 14 m two-master with three people aboard, ran aground on a sandbank at the mouth of the Minho River as she left Caminha, Portugal. The Maritime Police took all three to Caminha harbour. Nobody was hurt.
On 23 July 2026, the sailing yacht Idem lost her rudder to a pod of orcas 1.3 nautical miles off Estaca de Bares, Galicia, Spain, and began taking on water. Both crew were picked up unhurt by a nearby vessel and landed at Cariño; the yacht later sank. It was the fourth orca interaction reported in the area that day.
On 1 May 2026 the 32 ft sailboat Breezy Lee, sailed alone by an American from Florida, lost her engine and suffered rig problems about 70 nautical miles east-south-east of Cozumel. The Mexican Navy patrol vessel ARM Independencia took him aboard in good health and towed the boat to Cozumel.
On 18 October 2026 a 26 ft catamaran capsized about five miles south of Boot Key Harbor, Marathon, in the Florida Keys, with a small craft advisory in effect. The four aboard sent a mayday on VHF channel 16 and clung to the hull until a Coast Guard crew from Station Marathon took them off. Nobody was hurt.
On 17 August 2026 a 69-year-old sailing alone capsized his small catamaran, with a broken mast, in the North Sea between Langeoog and Spiekeroog. He raised the alarm himself and was wearing a thermal suit. Because his position was unclear, two lifeboats, a fishing boat and a Navy helicopter searched; the helicopter found and winched him up unhurt.
On 1 October 2026 a 13 m sailboat with four Italians aboard was left unsteerable by a mechanical failure in winds of Beaufort 8 to 9 outside the port of Corinth, Greece. Hellenic Coast Guard units and two Corinth Canal tugs worked for two hours to reach her and tow her in. All four were well.
On 24 September 2026 a lone sailor's 25-ft sailboat ran aground on a beach on Santa Rosa Island in California's Channel Islands. He called the Coast Guard on VHF channel 16, and an MH-60 Jayhawk from Air Station Ventura lifted him off unhurt. A tow company later recovered the boat to Ventura Harbor.
On 22 July 2026, a 16-foot catamaran-style sailboat capsized about 1.5 miles off Harrisville, Michigan, during a Lake Huron small craft advisory. The two sailors aboard were in the water for 90 minutes before 911 was called. Two more people who went out on their own to help — a swimmer and a kayaker without a lifejacket — were themselves swept up and capsized. Michigan DNR officers rescued all four; everyone was back ashore within two hours, unhurt.
Late on 4 October 2026 a fire broke out aboard a sailboat about 5 nautical miles north-west of Cabo da Roca, Portugal. The skipper, a 69-year-old Swede sailing alone, left in the dinghy and called 112. A Portuguese Navy patrol ship found the yacht empty, then picked him up unhurt.
On 18 June 2026 the 40-foot sailing vessel Mizuya lost her rudder in the open North Pacific, roughly 950 miles southwest of Adak, Alaska, and could no longer steer. With help beyond any single nation's reach, the US, Canadian and Japanese coast guards coordinated a response: the Canadian ship Sir Wilfrid Laurier diverted more than 575 miles and, around 26-27 June, took all three crew off in good condition for passage to Japan.
On 23 June 2026, two cruising catamarans collided in the Gulf of Cargèse, Corsica. One, a Looping 50 with three aboard, was holed and flooded faster than her pumps could keep up. The SNSM lifeboat crew took the three off and deliberately grounded her on sand to stop her sinking, then patched and refloated her the next day. No one was hurt.
On the night of 13-14 July 2026, a sailboat with ten people and a dog aboard ran aground on the Frioul archipelago off Marseille. The police nautical brigade reached the stranded boat and took everyone off safely, with no injuries. Details of the vessel and the cause of the grounding were not reported.
On 28 August 2026 the charter yacht The Third Man, a 2024-built Dufour 530 Smart Electric, caught fire in the Bay of Palma, Mallorca. Local press reports the fire began in her lithium batteries. Nearby boats and jet skis took all five people aboard off unhurt, and the burning yacht sank under the supervision of Salvamento Maritimo.
About 1:30 p.m. on Sunday 12 July 2026, a sailboat capsized in San Francisco Bay roughly half a mile east of San Francisco International Airport, near Coyote Point. Three people, all Foster City residents, were left clinging to the hull. San Mateo County Sheriff's Marine Unit deputies training nearby heard the call and pulled all three from the water. They were shaken and cold but unhurt.
On 1 July 2026 a 44-foot yacht ran aground off the Ayrshire coast in Scotland's Firth of Clyde, in an area local coverage called a notorious grounding blackspot. Largs RNLI launched and took all five people aboard to safety. No injuries were reported.
Before dawn on 14 October 2026 a sailboat anchored in Xero cove, on Peristera near Alonissos, lost her anchor in a north-east gale and was driven onto rocks. The British couple aboard climbed into a cave. Coast Guard officers on a private boat took them off. They had hypothermia but recovered.
A sailboat capsized on Lake Erie off Bay Village, Ohio around 8 p.m. on 27 June 2026. A resident ashore saw two people in the water beside the overturned hull and called for help. A Westlake police drone found both — one had drifted about 40 feet from the boat — and an Ohio DNR boat brought them ashore. Both were wearing life jackets and were unharmed.
On Sunday 12 July 2026, the 35-foot recreational catamaran Alakai lost her steering and began flooding while crossing from O‘ahu to Kaua‘i. Her lone skipper reached the Coast Guard by text message, warning that she might sink. A Coast Guard helicopter hoisted him about 23 miles offshore and flew him to Līhu‘e, where he was checked and released unhurt. The catamaran sank shortly after the rescue.
Early on 11 October 2026 a sailboat went aground in the surf off Coronado, California, and flooded with a man trapped in the cabin. A Coast Guard helicopter rescue swimmer gave him his snorkel so he could breathe, tore open part of the cabin roof and got him out. He was handed to paramedics in San Diego.
On 19 July 2026, a yacht carrying a man and his dog began taking on water off Bangor, Northern Ireland, during a passage from Donaghadee to Belfast. Bangor RNLI's lifeboat came alongside, put a crew member aboard to check the flooding, and escorted her safely into Bangor Marina, where a salvage pump cleared the water. No one was hurt.
On 25 July 2026, a 44-year-old man fell overboard from a catamaran off Barbâtre, Île de Noirmoutier, France. He swam himself to shore while his companion sailed the boat back in. A two-hour search involving a helicopter, an SNSM lifeboat, and firefighters was mobilised before he was found safe and released without hospital transport.
Before dawn on 19 September 2026 a 10 m yacht carrying two adults and their children, aged 9 and 12, ran aground on Elizabeth Reef on the Great Barrier Reef, about 100 km north of the Whitsundays. A rescue helicopter from Mackay winched all four off at sunrise. The father was treated for head injuries.
Early on 10 October 2026 a 30 ft sailboat with one man aboard took on water and sank in Woods Hole Passage, off Falmouth, Massachusetts. He was wearing a life jacket. A Coast Guard crew from Station Woods Hole pulled him from the water. He was checked for hypothermia and was not hurt.
On 27 July 2026, a roughly 30-foot catamaran struck a piling near the Manatee Avenue Bridge in Bradenton, Florida, during strong wind, and its mast snapped. A rescue swimmer pulled both people aboard from the water; one suffered a head laceration and was taken to hospital.
On 30 September 2026 a Norwegian sailor crossing alone from Bergen in a 9 m yacht found her taking on more and more water in strong southeasterly winds and heavy swell, about 14 nautical miles east of Whalsay, Shetland. Lerwick lifeboat took him off, uninjured, while a trawler gave shelter. The yacht was abandoned.
On 8 February 2026, a 32-year-old American crew member aboard the sailboat Lena Rae, about 850 nautical miles off Recife, Brazil, developed acute chest pain and shortness of breath during an Atlantic crossing. A merchant ship diverted to collect him, a Brazilian Navy vessel carried him within range, and a Brazilian Air Force helicopter flew him to hospital in Natal on 12 February.
On 1 October 2026 a catamaran capsized about three miles off Craigville Beach in Barnstable, Massachusetts. Both men aboard were in the water in life jackets and called police on a phone sealed in a plastic bag. A police boat found them 200 yards from the hull. Neither was hurt.
On 27 June 2026, a sailboat with two Greek nationals aboard began taking on water and partially sank near the Pergousa islet off Nisyros, Greece. The Hellenic Coast Guard located the boat, recovered both people safely, and brought them to Nisyros harbour. Neither was hurt.
On 25 September 2026 a 10 m catamaran lost her mast about nine miles north of Wangerooge, in light wind. The couple aboard sent a faint Mayday that gave no name or position. A passing yacht found them, and German sea rescuers cut the rig away and towed the boat to Hooksiel.
On 3 August 2026, adverse weather left a sailboat with nine people aboard — seven adults and two children — in difficulty off Topolobampo, Sinaloa. Mexico's Navy rescued everyone, found no injuries, and towed the boat to a nearby dock.
On 21 August 2026, during Hamilton Island Race Week, the 25 m Oyster 825 Viva La Vida struck what is believed to be a rock or reef while running downwind under spinnaker at low tide. She lost her keel bulb, took on water faster than a pump could clear it, listed and capsized. All ten aboard were taken off unhurt by support vessels.
Early on 21 June 2026, a single-handed 57-year-old French sailor radioed the Azores rescue centre at about 4 a.m. with his boat in difficulty off the southwest coast of Faial, near Varadouro. He got himself off the boat and onto the rocks before help arrived, but the sea was too rough to lift him off until 8:45 a.m. A lifeboat recovered him and he was taken to hospital in Horta, exhausted but alive; the boat grounded.
Late on 21 July 2026, the crew of a 15-metre yacht anchored in Loch Spelve, Isle of Mull, called a mayday after their anchor chain fouled the propeller and rudder, fearing they'd drag ashore. Oban RNLI's lifeboat found the anchor holding, took the crew off as a precaution, and brought them back to Oban overnight. No one was hurt.
On the stormy night of 27–28 June 2026, a couple sheltered below on their sailboat, made fast to a mooring buoy in Eckernförde Bay on the western Baltic. The mooring failed and the boat drifted; a DGzRS lifeboat found them aboard and began a tow. Then a second thunderstorm hit with gusts to force 10, capsized the boat under tow, and threw both into the dark water — the lifeboat crew pulled both out unhurt within minutes.
On 21 June 2026 a 57-year-old Frenchman sailing alone off Faial in the Azores called for help at 0400 in difficulty. Heavy seas delayed the Horta lifeboat, so he was not lifted off until 0845, by then exhausted, and was taken to hospital. The yacht he left behind then drifted for about ten days before grounding.
On the evening of 30 June 2026 a sailing yacht sank about five miles west of Kefalonia in calm weather. The two Italians aboard abandoned in good time into the yacht's own tender and were picked up by a passing private vessel, escorted ashore by a Hellenic Coast Guard patrol boat. Both were unhurt; the cause is under investigation.
In Cook Strait around 20-21 May 2026, the 11-metre yacht Boxing Kangaroo issued two maydays. First, a seriously ill crew member was evacuated off Cape Palliser in an overnight, 82-nautical-mile Coastguard operation. The skipper then stayed aboard alone; as conditions worsened he became lost and called again. An RNZAF P-8A Poseidon found the boat near Baring Head and HMNZS Taupo rescued him before midnight. Both men survived.
On 6 September 2026 a Canadian sailing solo from Darwin to Christmas Island was rescued after his catamaran took on water in severe weather. His brother raised the alarm when he missed two check-ins. An AMSA aircraft found the boat by radar and dropped a liferaft and beacon, and a Navy helicopter winched him from his tender, unhurt.
On 26 May 2026, 489 miles off Oregon, the 29-foot Alice was dismasted and left with a dead engine in a gale while her 74-year-old skipper sailed alone from Hawaii to British Columbia. He hurt his shoulder but stayed in contact by handheld satellite messenger. The Coast Guard flew overwatch and the cruise ship Silver Whisper diverted 120 miles to lift him off.
On 29 October 2023 the Argentine sailboat Carpe Diem lost her rudder and began flooding near the Farallón Island light off Colonia, Uruguay. The crew could not stop the water, and a pump failed to hold her. About two hours after the first distress call, Uruguay's Navy took off all twelve aboard; the boat sank with half its mast still showing. All twelve survived.
HISTORICAL (Nov 2023). During Storm Ciarán, a Norwegian sailor's yacht was critically damaged about 700 miles off south-west England. He sent a distress call late on 2 November 2023, and an RAF A400M Atlas and a Poseidon MRA1 flew far offshore to find him and coordinate a rescue well beyond helicopter range.