Sailor hospitalised with heart problems hours after being rescued from stricken vessel

The man, in his 50s, had been moored to a buoy at Church Scar, in the water off Lytham Green after beginning to drift out to sea nine miles west of Southport at around 3.29pm yesterday.

His helpers, Lytham Coastguard and RNLI, returned to their respective stations shortly after 10pm after a several hour long rescue effort, but were called back out to the 31 feet sailing vessel – called a ketch – at 11.38pm.

The man, who had been at sea for four days and was on his way back from Beaumaris in Wales to Hesketh Bank, was handed over to waiting paramedics and taken to Blackpool Victoria Hospital, RNLI press officer David Forshaw said.

“The volunteer crew, some of who had been on duty since mid-afternoon, could finally head home for a meal then bed at 12.50am after over nine busy hours,” he added.

Both the all-weather lifeboat, Her Majesty the Queen, and inshore lifeboat MOAM were involved in the rescue, which took place during thick fog but little to no wind, while station mechanic Ben McGarry and deputy second coxswain Nick Glassbrook boarded the ketch, before it was towed to the buoy shortly after 5pm.