Sea rescuers rescued the violinist of the band Santiano, Peter “Pete” Sage, and his wife after their sailing yacht went down in the Bay of Kiel. “The DGzRS saved our lives,” the German Society for the Rescue of Shipwrecked People (DGzRS) quoted the musician as saying on Monday. The DGzRS had previously reported on the rescue of two damaged sailors on Friday, but did not name them.
The couple’s yacht sank about three kilometers (about 1.6 nautical miles) from shore on Friday afternoon. When the rescuers reached the scene of the accident, only the mast of the twelve-meter-long ship stuck out of the water, the DGzRS announced on Friday. The violinist and his wife had rescued themselves on a small dinghy that was drifting in the turbulent sea about 300 meters from the site of the sinking.
“The sea rescuers took care of us in a picture-perfect and caring manner,” Sage was now quoted as saying. “They immediately noticed our condition and dealt with us very sensitively and with understanding.” He is happy about this club.
According to the information, the couple was on their way from Heiligenhafen to Olpenitz on Friday with their sailing yacht when a sudden inrush of water forced the two to leave the boat. They switched on a pump, but the water continued to rise rapidly. “I realized with horror that the flooding could no longer be stopped,” reported Sage. On-board electronics and machine failed. “Everything indicated that we would lose the ship.”
Sage made an emergency call. “My wife and I managed to climb into the dinghy. With a heavy heart we let go of our sailing vessel and drifted away with the wind and current.” The yacht sank shortly thereafter. Meanwhile, the sea rescue cruiser “Berlin” was on its way from Laboe to the scene of the accident.
