Life hack saves bloke from certain death
German tourist lucky to be alive after crafting a makeshift flotation deviceA German tourist knocked off a sailboat on the east coast of New Zealand has had a remarkable rescue after he used his jeans as an improvised life jacket to stay afloat.
NZ emergency services swung into action after a mayday call shortly after 2pm on March 6, sparked when German Arne Murke was knocked into rough three-metre seas 15 nautical miles off the coast after a yacht’s boom gibed unexpectedly.
Unable to reach a life jacket thrown into the water by his brother, the only other person on the boat, Murke fashioned his jeans into makeshift flotation by tying knots in the legs and filling them with air.
He was eventually plucked from the water by rescue helicopter more than three hours later.
“Luckily I knew the trick with the jeans,” Murke
. “Without the jeans I wouldn’t be here today.”The brothers were sailing the 12-metre yacht on a delivery run from New Zealand to Brazil.
EPIRB activated
Rescue Coordination Centre NZ senior search and rescue coordinator Chris Henshaw said Murke’s brother, Helge, was asked to activate the boat’s EPIRB to mark the boat’s location and help with the rescue effort.
Murke was located and rescued by the Hawke's Bay rescue helicopter, which located him in the water and used a rescue swimmer to get him onboard.
“Most accidents occur suddenly with no warning,” Henshaw said. “Lifejackets are essential for all recreational activities on the water. It was fortunate the yacht had both a VHF radio and emergency beacons to raise the alert.
“Without appropriate communications devices and beacons it may have turned out differently.”
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