Call to Norfolk saves Spain-stranded sailors
A man helped rescue his two brothers caught in a storm in high waves on board a yacht off Spain after getting a call from them while he was in Norfolk.
David and Brian Scott phoned their brother Martin in Great Yarmouth who alerted the local coastguard.
They passed him on to the Falmouth coastguard responsible for international search and rescue liaison who contacted the Spanish authorities.
The Scott brothers were rescued as their new motor cruiser ran aground.
David, 56, and Brian, 58, became stuck off the coast of the Costa del Sol as they were caught in bad weather on a trip from Alicante to Puerto Buenos.
Realising they called for help on the radio but failed to make a connection.
They then called their younger brother Martin in Great Yarmouth in Britain on their mobile phone.
The 52-year-old said he was "extremely concerned" to receive the call at 2200 BST on Wednesday from his brothers who both work in oil and gas exploration and have more than 20 years of experience at sea.
Martin said: "It was David's voice and I knew then that it was a dire situation.
"He said, 'write this down', and then gave me their position and told me what I would need to know to alert the authorities. They were frightened."
Martin said the Yarmouth coastguard then initated an international search and rescue operation via Falmouth.
Throughout the ordeal, the three kept in touch with a series of telephone calls, each lasting less than a minute to save the battery on David and Brian's mobile phone.
Martin said: "They both told me later that they thought they were going to die last night. They were shaken."
He said they had taken "every sensible precaution" before setting sail.
David hurt his right leg but the pair otherwise escaped uninjured.
Yarmouth Coastguard watch manager Mario Siano said: "This is an excellent example of national and international co-operation between multiple coastguard stations.
"I am happy to report that we are told all on board are now safely ashore."