Just before 6AM on the 31st of October 2019, my nephew Alex and I were on watch aboard my yacht, Bellatrix, sailing from Cartagena toward Sicily with my friend Richard and one other crew member. We were making a decent nine knots through a moonless Mediterranean night when an enormous bang was followed by sudden deceleration and the dreadful sound of twisting metal. The mast had collapsed into the sea. Around 40 miles north of Algeria, we were left with broken spars and heavily loaded rigging crashing against the hull.

Everyone put on life jackets, we readied the life raft and began freeing the wreckage. My greatest fear was that the mast would puncture the hull before we could release it. The work was dangerous, with sharp aluminum littering the deck and the remaining rigging still under considerable load. At one point, I was thrown overboard but caught beneath the arm by a stanchion before Richard hauled me back on board.

At approximately 6:30AM local time, with the situation still uncertain, I activated our ACR GlobalFix EPIRB. Activating the emergency beacon meant professional search and rescue support could be alerted to our position while we focused on stabilizing the situation aboard Bellatrix. The knowledge that help had been called and could locate us was a major reassurance during an exceptionally difficult situation.

We finally jettisoned the rig just before 8AM, and at approximately 8:20AM a Palma Search and Rescue helicopter arrived overhead. Hearing the pilot’s calm, reassuring voice on our handheld radio was an enormous relief. He offered to evacuate us, but with the hull intact, only minor injuries, and the engine running, we decided to remain aboard.

The helicopter stayed with us for about 20 minutes while we confirmed we could proceed safely. We then faced a long motor passage to Ibiza, arriving at 11:50 PM that evening, exhausted and battered, but together and with Bellatrix still afloat. We had not needed to be lifted off, but the EPIRB had brought professional help to our position during a genuinely dangerous emergency. Knowing that help was there made an immense difference.