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Auckland skipper Dr Charles Bradfield, his wife Joy and their six children had nothing but praise for the international effort that saw them rescued off their yacht in heavy seas 203 nautical miles north of North Cape in July.
The Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) enlisted the help of both the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) and the French Navy to help the family after their 12.6 metre sloop Carenza lost its mast during a storm on 30 June.
Dr Bradfield activated the yacht’s 406 MHz emergency locator beacon, and also called RCCNZ on the yacht’s satellite phone. RCCNZ then contacted the nearby French warship La Glorieuse and requested it go to the aid of the stricken yacht. An RNZAF C-130 Hercules aircraft was also tasked to fly overhead to monitor the situation.
Dr Bradfield said the sight of the Hercules kept the family’s spirits up while they awaited rescue.
“It was quite an emotional thing, just seeing that Hercules flying overhead. We knew they couldn’t pick us up or anything, but just knowing they were there gave us a lot of comfort.”
On the morning of 1 July, the family of eight was brought onto La Glorieuse, and Carenza was scuttled so it didn’t become a marine hazard for other vessels – a painful decision for the family.
“We’ve lost our yacht, which is really hard,” Dr Bradfield said. “But obviously I had to put my family first. It’s a decision we had to make.”
Dr Bradfield recently paid a visit to RCCNZ to personally thank the search and rescue officers who co-ordinated the rescue. He also took the chance to visit the operations room and see how the search and rescue operations work.
“One positive thing that has come out of all this is I now realise that New Zealand has an excellent rescue centre. The work these guys did was fantastic and we were completely looked after throughout”, Dr Bradfield said.
RCCNZ Search and Rescue Officers Kevin Banaghan (left) and John Ashby with Carenza skipper
Dr Charles Bradfield (centre) at RCCNZ.
