Deaf sailor rescued after texting 'emergency' to his sister

Unable to use his boat radio to call for help as he cannot talk, Justin Paull instead text the word 'emergency' to his sister who in turn raised the alarm on dry land.

Mr Paull, 52, from Bridport, loves the sea and is usually well prepared for emergencies, although his family admit they worry about him when he goes out.

He had been in his 5m fishing boat Sally Ann off the west Dorset coast about eight miles west of Weymouth last Thursday afternoon when the vessel suffered engine failure.

After contacting his sister, Janine Paull-Sellick, she made a video call in British Sign Language (BSL) so he could explain the situation.

She called the coastguard and operators alerted the Lyme Regis Lifeboat.

Lifeboat crew member Rich Tilley boarded Mr Paull's boat and using white marker boards and a pen wrote questions and drew diagrams telling him what was happening, below.

He said: “We had been briefed about Justin before launching, so I thought we should take the boards to write messages for him. I wrote questions such as 'are you fit and well' and explained how we were going to tow his boat for about an hour to the safety of West Bay harbour. He was pleased to see us and even took a selfie with me.”

The rescue, which happened in the middle of Deaf Awareness Week, was the ninth emergency call answered by the Lyme Regis lifeboat volunteers so far this year.

Justin and Janine at the lifeboat station with the crew yesterday

Picture: Richard Horobin/Lyme RNLI

Janine said: “I can’t find words enough to thank the lifeboat crew. They were just brilliant.

“From a young age Justin found a love for the sea. It has always been his meditation, his place to go to switch off from the world and his daily challenges. He has never feared the ocean, just loved it. However, as his loved ones we have always worried about it. But nevertheless we support his passion for the sea.

“He has all the up to date technology and takes every safety measure. He always lets the family know when he is going out on his boat and when he will arrive back. And the harbourmaster and his team always keep an eye out for him. He has amazing support from the community.”

Mr Paull, pictured above with his boat, who is chairman of Bridport Deaf Club, made a video in sign language explaining his problems.

He signed: “I went to use my second engine but the bracket failed and snapped and the engine fell into the sea. I had a huge struggle to get it back. I cannot believe it. It is the first time in my life that this has happened. I am in shock, it’s terrible - my boat is well prepared for emergencies, but the emergency back-up failed.”