MOB - She couldn't pull him back on board

9:54 PM Tue 28 Jul 2009 GMT

'UK Halsey video image shows THREE men having difficulty in getting a comrade back on board during a demonstration video. How much more difficult for single female' .

A romantic boat trip to mark a wedding anniversary that turned into a dramatic rescue operation this week shows again how difficult it is to get someone back on board a sailing boat once he or she (particularly he) has fallen overboard.

The husband and wife, from Hertfordshire in the UK, set off from Birdham Pool Marina in Chichester Harbour to celebrate their 40th anniversary.

The yacht was a mile off Hayling Island and he was on the bow, changing sails, when a rogue wave washed him off the boat into a choppy sea.

He was wearing a life jacket, and his wife, who was not an experienced sailor, threw him a rope and tried desperately, but could not pull him back on board. He was left hanging, the wife called for help, and hypothermia began to set in.

The wife made the distress call at about 4pm and two lifeboats were sent. The man was plucked from the water approximately 45 minutes later by lifeboat crew member Jasper Graham-Jones, and was taken to Queen Alexandra Hospital.

Carol Carter, from Hayling Royal National Lifesaving Institute(RNLI), said:
'He had a lifejacket on. Had he not had a lifejacket on, he would not have survived.'

by Des Ryan