– It was horrible to see the boat go down. But at the same time, we are terribly grateful that everyone was relatively safe. It could have gone much worse. Glenn-Thomas Madsen has returned home after a dramatic morning outside Bleik in Andøy. He is skipper on board “Klævtind”. Together with the five others on board the boat, they had positioned themselves to leeward from the worst of the wind when things went wrong. Suddenly they hit a reef, and a hole was punched in the boat. At 09.45 the main rescue center received a mayday message on the coastal radio. The lifeboat “Dagfinn Paust” from Andøya was immediately sent out. A coast guard ship also headed for the grounded fishing boat. – What did you think then? – No, you are so shocked that you are unable to think about anything other than following what you have learned on various courses. Get the fleet on the sea, and get in the suits and be ready. The only thing that matters is saving people. Everything else comes second. After about half an hour, the lifeboat was in place with the casualty. Dramatic message Sten Rune Nikolaisen is on-duty rescue manager at the Main Rescue Centre. He is aware that it was a dramatic message they received. – It’s clear. We also had the helicopter at the back just in case, but the skipper said on the call that all the men on board had put on their suits. They had made the fleet ready. I think they have done a great job. We also heard on the coastal radio that everyone was on the bridge, so we felt it was so safe that we didn’t need to send the helicopter, says the rescue leader. Attempts were made to salvage the boat. Photo: The Norwegian Navy The lifeboat arrived quickly on the scene, and got bilge pumps on board. But they couldn’t pump fast enough. It was decided that they should try to tow the boat to Andenes and raise it there. But along the way the boat just started going deeper and deeper into the water. Uncertain future – The boat will never be used again. It lies at a depth of 40 metres. What happens next with it will be a matter for the insurance company and other bodies. Glenn-Thomas Madsen has been fishing for 32 years, and has owned the boat since 2015. He and the crew were ready to start winter fishing in full when the accident happened. – That’s the sad part. But right now I can’t think that far. But we have to figure out what to do next. You have to recover a bit, and get another boat so you can fish the quota. But there are things like that that are not prioritized today.
ttn-69
The fishing boat “Klævtind” sank off Andøy – news Nordland
