The 40-foot Jeanne SOLO Sailor sent out a distress signal at 8.23pm on Monday from 14 miles off the Sisargas Islands off Spain’s northwestern Galicia region, the coastguard said. A rescue ship carrying five divers set out to rescue the man, who has not been named, as one of three helicopters sent to help the search spotted the overturned vessel as the sun set. The man responded to divers searching for signs of life by hitting the hull from the inside. Image: Pic: Maritime Rescue However, at the time the sea was too rough to attempt a rescue, so the team attached flotation balloons to the ship’s hull to prevent it from sinking further and waited until morning. The man was found under the boat wearing a neoprene survival suit submerged in water up to his knees as two divers swam below to help him. He was airlifted to safety and taken to the hospital for checks, but was released soon after without incident. Vicente Cobelo, a member of the coast guard’s special operations team, told a local station that the man voluntarily jumped into the icy water and swam under the boat to reach the surface. He said: “On his own initiative he entered the water and dived free, assisted by the divers who had to pull him in because it was difficult for him to get out in his suit.” Read more: Stranded boaters jump for joy as Alaskan rescue Divers rescue diamond ring after woman drops it in Massachusetts river Tracking data showed that the Jeanne SOLO Sailor had set sail from the Portuguese capital of Lisbon in the morning of the previous day.
