Abandoned Yacht Discovered on Cornwall Shoreline; Skipper's Whereabouts Unknown

Image Credits: Mevagissey Coastguard/Facebook

A significant search effort unfolded off the coast of Cornwall after a yacht was discovered stranded near Chapel Point,Mevagissey,on the evening of June 13. As reported by local authorities,the HM Coastguard station in Mevagissey received an alert around 8:15 p.m. about a yacht perched precariously on rocks at Chapel Point, which is close too the southern entrance of the English Channel. The sails were still up, but there was no sign of anyone aboard.

Responders from both the Coastguard and RNLI quickly made their way to the scene. Two crew members from Fowey’s lifeboat donned dry suits for safety and boarded the vessel to investigate further. Upon confirming that it was empty, officials treated this as a potential missing person case.

The operation was coordinated by Falmouth Coastguard and involved extensive searches both on land and at sea. Lifeboats from Falmouth, Fowey, Looe, and The Lizard joined forces with a Coastguard helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft for aerial surveillance. Devon and Cornwall Police also participated due to concerns regarding individuals associated with the yacht.

the search conducted by Fowey’s lifeboat crew lasted over ten hours—starting at 8:40 p.m. and wrapping up around 4:50 a.m.—with two team members using their smaller XP boat to reach out to the stranded vessel for further investigation.

They executed various search patterns extending from Chapel Point down towards Dodman Point and as far as The Lizard—covering an notable distance of up to 25 nautical miles from Fowey.

Image Credits: Mevagissey Coastguard/Facebook

On Saturday morning at approximately 7:45 a.m., aerial support resumed its efforts in hopes of finding any survivors while teams continued scouring both sea routes and coastal areas.

It is indeed believed that this particular yacht had journeyed from Roscoff in France; thus, representatives from UK Border Force were also present during investigations.

Despite all efforts put forth by multiple agencies involved in this large-scale operation, no individuals were located. By Sunday afternoon, HM Coastguard announced that they would be suspending their search activities.

Considering these events, Mevagissey Coastguard urged people not to speculate or spread misinformation online; they emphasized that families deserve privacy while details are being verified.

Social media posts shared by coastguards illustrated just how vast an area was covered during these searches—spanning several miles into open waters. Simultaneously occurring,upon returning home early Sunday morning around 6:30 a.m.,volunteers from Fowey RNLI were greeted warmly back at their boathouse where team member Boris had prepared bacon baps for everyone who had worked tirelessly through long hours.

References: BBC News; Cornwall Live