Mark Leach and his family were out for a day's sailing on their 33 yacht Timolisa yesterday when they saw a man in difficulties near Cowes.
It appeared that his motorboat had been snagged at the stern and was sinking fast. The man ended up in the water and Mark motored over to his position to find him floating face down in the water.
After contacting Solent Coastguard for assistance, Mark jumped into the water and with the help of his son and wife recovered the 72 year old man, who was unconscious, to the swimming platform at the rear of his yacht.
When the Coastguard Rescue Helicopter Whiskey Bravo arrived on scene, Mark and his family were exhausted from the rescue so a nearby fishing vessel called Provider gave assistance in using their boat as a platform for the helicopter to recover the man.
Nigel Guyll, duty watch manager, Solent Coastguard said: “The family who rescued this man saved his life. Their actions in alerting the Coastguard to this incident before attempting the rescue were entirely appropriate. The man was taken to a hospital on the Isle of Wight where he is recovering from his ordeal.”
