Man Thrown from Out of Control Speedboat

A man had a lucky escape after being thrown from his speedboat in Teignmouth Quay.

Brixham Coastguard said it received a 999 call from a member of the public just after 10am this morning, reporting that a man had been hurled into the water from his speedboat. The boat was then going round in circles and the man was trying to swim away to safety.

The Teignmouth Coastguard Rescue Team and the Teignmouth RNLI inshore lifeboat were sent to the scene. The lifeboat crew managed to bring the boat under control by cutting the engine. The man had been picked up by another boat nearby and was brought ashore where he was met by Coastguard Rescue Officers. He’s since been taken to hospital to be checked over, but doesn’t appear to have been badly hurt.

Andre Huber, Watch Manager at Brixham Coastguard, said, “It appears the man took off his kill cord as it was too short to allow him to tie up his boat. Unfortunately, he accidentally knocked the throttle, the boat jerked forward and he fell into the water. Without the kill cord, the boat’s engine didn’t cut out and then locked into driving round and round in circles.

“Luckily he did have a lifejacket on and was able to quickly swim away to safety and the boat was soon brought under control.

“We always recommend people wear their kill cord at all times when on the boat. Make sure it’s a suitable length so you can move around your vessel, particularly if you’re on your own.

“As we’re set for fine weather this weekend, we’d just like to remind everyone to have fun but stay safe on our coastline. If you get into difficulty, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard, or get in touch with us via VHF channel 16.”