Margie Maccoll
The Noosa Coast Guard came to the aid of a lone sailor off Teewah Beach who called for help after suspecting he was suffering from a heart attack last Sunday morning.
Coast Guard Commander Ian Hutchins said the Coast Guard received a call from the Tin Can Bay Coast Guard for help at 7 a.m. and sent a rescue vessel with a defibrillator and oxygen and a crew member trained in first aid a few minutes later.
Captain Hutchins said the team requested a medical evacuation helicopter rescue service but was told it was unavailable due to a malfunctioning winch.
The rescue team received another call at 8am saying the man was “not well. He had chest pains. He had a history of heart attacks and had had a stroke in the past,” they were told.
At 8:15 a.m., the Coast Guard had stopped alongside the yacht, brought the sailor on board and administered first aid. A Coast Guard crew member remained on the man’s yacht.
The team returned to Munna Point base, calling ahead for an ambulance who met them on arrival at 8:45 a.m., and he was taken to hospital.
Captain Hutchins said the salvage team then returned to the yacht and, after sending a second crew member aboard the yacht, towed her over Noosa Bar to anchor her safely at Woods Bay.
