Fisherman rescued from North Sea (From York Press)

Fisherman rescued from North Sea

7:12pm Friday 28th September 2012 in News

A FISHERMAN was rescued from the sea off North Yorkshire today after around two and a half hours in the water, after he fell from his boat.

Coastguard officials say the man was not wearing a life-jacket and is lucky to be alive. He was spotted by the crew of another fishing vessel, Codonga 2, around 16 miles off Robin Hood's Bay, and rescued by a lifeboat crew.

Codonga 2 had been asked by the fisherman's wife to keep a look out, as his boat was overdue. They spotted him and raised a mayday alarm at 3.26pm, which was picked up by Humber Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre. The RNLI lifeboat from Whitby rescued the man and brought him back to shore, where he received medical attention.

After receiving the alert from the man's wife, Codonga 2 spotted his fishing boat in an unusual position and went to investigate. They found him in the water without any floatation device. It is believed he drifted five miles from where he fell in but his boat had luckily drifted with him.

Graham Dawson, Humber Coastguard Watch Manager, said: "This gentleman is extremely lucky to have survived this amount of time in cold water, particularly without a lifejacket.

"If you are worried about someone who hasn't returned to shore, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard, and we will take the appropriate action. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency recommend that commercial fisherman should wear a personal floatation device or lifeline whilst working on the deck of a vessel at sea."