ABSAR, the Antigua & Barbuda Coast Guard and CalvinAir joined forces on
Friday in a swift and coordinated response to a distress call from two fishermen stranded on an overturned fishing vessel.

The mayday was received early in the day, when a boat travelling from St Martin was several hours overdue, prompting an urgent search. The fishermen were eventually located sitting on the hull of their boat, which had overturned halfway to Barbuda. ABSAR volunteers boarded the CalvinAir helicopter to aid in the search.

According to ABSAR volunteer Ruby, the white hull of the vessel played a
crucial role in spotting it from the air. “Had it been a darker colour, we might
have missed it,” she said.

Once spotted, CalvinAir dropped a life raft to the fishermen, who eagerly
climbed aboard. Meanwhile, ABSAR’s rescue boat R2 raced from Falmouth to
their location. With ABSAR’s rescue vessel 10 minutes away, a French
coastguard helicopter from Guadeloupe rescue helicopter arrived on the scene
and winched the two men to safety, flying them directly to Guadeloupe for
medical evaluation. ABSAR and the Antigua & Barbuda Coast Guard then
secured the life raft and returned to base at Falmouth Harbour.

ABSAR Director Marco praised the operation as a textbook example of inter-agency and inter-island cooperation. “This rescue highlights the importance of
collaboration between emergency services in the region,” he said.