UK yachtsman saved by mobile phone

A UK man whose yacht had run aground off the cost of Oman called his son in the UK using a GSM mobile phone after marine radio mayday calls and flares had attracted no response.

Karl Chavrat Jnr saw last week that he had received several voicemails from his father Karl Chavrat Snr, who he knew was undertaking a passage on his yacht from Norfolk to Madasgacar.

The messages on the phone were ones of panic indicating that Karl Snr was in distress. They were followed by SMS messages, giving the last known position of the yacht.

Karl Jnr, then phoned his father who was able to give details of what had happened. He was able to confirm his position sitting on some rocks approximately 20 miles south of Salalah, Oman.

A friend of Karl's called the coastguard by dialling 999 and was connected to Thames Coastguard, which passed the information to the rescue coordination centre at Falmouth which is responsible for liaison with international search and rescue authorities.

Falmouth Coastguards were then able to alert the search and rescue authorities in Oman of the situation and give them Karl Snr's position.

The Oman authorities rescued Karl Snr from his situation using a helicopter and he is now being treated in hospital for his injuries, a dislocated shoulder and cuts to his legs which required some stitches.