Trainees get real-life emergency experience

11:25 PM Mon 10 Aug 2009 GMT

'Spirit of Bermuda - trainees to the rescue...' .

There's nothing like the real thing to get the adrenline flowing. Trainees taking part in a 30-hour training program on the sailing sloop Spirit of Bermuda got more than they bargained for when they were called upon to respond to a Mayday and carry out a rescue this week.

The Bermudan trainees, three staff from the Mirrors programme and 11 public middle school teachers , were called upon to put their new-found skills to use in a real life emergency.

William Caulder, from Dellwood Middle School was the first to spot the boat bobbing upside down after they had responded to the call. One man was in the water and the other clung to the side of upturned hull.

'I scanned the horizon and saw the boat bobbing upside down. The captain whipped us around and got us there very quickly,' said Caulder.

'Realising we were suddenly going to be part of a rescue mission, it was a rush. And all the crew did a wonderful job.'

The men on the stricken vessel were volunteers on a crash boat for the Bermuda Powerboat Association (BPA) Round the Island race.

Bermuda Maritime Operations (Harbour Radio) issued a Mayday after receiving a 911 call from a relative of one of the men, at 12.30 p.m.. The Spirit, en route from Castle Harbour, was alongside minutes later.

Mitchell DeShields and Dylan Clark, crew members of the Spirit of Bermuda, pull onboard one of two men the sloop rescued when their boat capsized. The other man can be seen next to the distressed boat - .. .

Crew helped one man aboard while the other stayed clinging to the boat until the arrival of the Marine Police 'Rescue 3' boat at 12.45 p.m. The men were then transferred onto the Police vessel.

The Spirit's captain Jack Morton said: 'It is very gratifying to be able to give back to the marine community, and getting someone who is in trouble safely aboard is the most important service you can perform.'

Mr. Morton praised the 14 trainees and his five professional members of crew yesterday.

'The crew performed magnificently and did exactly what they should,' he said. 'They all responded very well.'

Elizabeth Chang, Bermuda Sloop Foundation educational programme director, was also aboard the schooner at the time of the incident.

'I think the men in the water were very grateful we had responded and were there to help,' she said.

'It is the first time we've had a rescue call like this with trainees on board and I think they impressed themselves at how they handled the sails in a way which was both safe and fast.'

by Amanda Dale, Royal Gazette/Sail-World