Controller rescued at sea
Swanwick controller (and regular PPRuNer) Alan Moss was among the crew of 16 sailors rescued after their yacht was holed by a submerged rock near a small Indonesian island about 200 miles north-east of Java in the early hours of Thursday local time.
The 68ft Cork Clipper was competing in the 10 month/35,000 miles Clipper Round the World Race. It ran into trouble in high winds and rough seas while racing from Australia to Singapore.
The crew were forced to abandon their yacht on life rafts and were later rescued by two other competing yachts.
The Cork Clipper was in fourth place at the time. Disappointing, but all crew safely rescued which is the most important.
BBC News - Global race yacht runs aground in Java sea
Alan took a career break from NATS and self-funded the trip to fulfil a lifetime dream. He used the voyage to raise funds for Flying Scholarships for the Disabled, with which he has been involved since 1995, aiming to raise enough money to fund a complete flying scholarship.
Last edited by Flying Lawyer; 15th Jan 2010 at 05:15.