The next time you’ve got the feeling you want to complain about an uncomfortable two-hour flight, remember this story. A 62-year-old French sailor is safe today, rescued after his boat capsized and he spent 16 hours in an air bubble.
Laurent Camprubi, a Frenchman, set out from Lisbon, Portugal, Sunday morning. He traveled almost 15 miles to near Galicia, Spain, by Monday, August 1st, 2022. He began experiencing difficulties with his boat. Considering the boat eventually capsized, we’d call it more than difficulties. Luckily, he was able to send out a distress signal, which the Spanish coastguard received at around 8:30 at night.
However, the waters were too dangerous to attempt a rescue dive to save the sailor. Three helicopters along with one rescue ship with five divers searched for the boat, which was found just as the sun was going down, about 15 miles from the Sisargas Islands near Galicia. Although a rescue dive was still too risky due to the choppy waters, one diver was lowered from a helicopter, armed with buoyancy balloons. The balloons were attached to the man’s boat to keep it above water until the water conditions improved.
The diver also confirmed that the sailor was okay, knocking through the hull to communicate.
They still had to wait for the seas to calm down, leaving the Frenchman alone in a capsized boat until it was safe enough for a rescue.
Spain’s Maritime Safety and Rescue Society described the rescue as, “On the edge of the impossible, in an operation against the clock, with rough seas, at night, 15 miles from the coast and in the middle of nowhere.”
They also shared the footage of two divers attempting rescue. They found the indefatigable French senior in a suit made of neoprene, and submerged in water up to his knees. Then, in a burst or adrenalin, the sailor jumped in the water.
“Of his own initiative, he got into the water and free-dived out, helped by the divers who had to pull him through because it was difficult for him to get out in his suit,” said Vincent Cobelo, a member of the coastguard’s special operations team.
The indestructible old dude, reminiscent of Clint Eastwood or Sean Connery, was airlifted to safety and transported to a hospital for medical care. He was discharged shortly after, with no issues, showing that, like a fine wine, some guys just get stronger with time.