64 YEAR OLD MAN MISSING AFTER BOAT TRAGEDY OFF CAMPBELTOWN

[Mary G]

Saw the Coastguard launch as we left the town at today after the parade. Here is the very unfortuante news on the HM Coastguard site http://www.mcga.gov.uk/c4mca/mcga-newsroom/mcga-press-releases.htm?id=4F79BE78B8264A14&m=8&y=2007:

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64 YEAR OLD MAN MISSING AFTER BOAT TRAGEDY OFF CAMPBELTOWN

At twenty five minutes past one this afternoon, Clyde Coastguard took a 999 call from a concerned lady who had received a call from her husband on a 16 foot boat that was sinking.

The three people on the boat had used their mobile phone to alert the lady on the shore of their predicament. She then contacted the coastguard giving a brief position of where they were.
Using very limited information Clyde scrambled a Royal Navy helicopter and requested the launch of the Campbeltown RNLI lifeboat and called out the local Coastguard rescue team.
A teenager and a middle aged man who were both wearing lifejackets were picked up by the lifeboat. They informed the lifeboat crew that they saw the other gentleman go down with the boat. The helicopter searched from the air but was unable to sight anyone or anything. The weather at the time was good.
Bill Speirs, Watch Manager, Clyde Coastguard said:
The Coastguard would like to remind boat users that VHF radio is the most effective means of raising the alarm, however if mobile phones must be used phone 999 and ask for the Coastguard.

[general jack o'niell]

haven't heard anything about this

[Sheik Yir Erse]

Also on BBC website

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/gla ... 954384.stm