A German yachtsman was knocked overboard in bad weather seas off New Zealand, when he decided to use his jeans to save his life, Reuters reports. The yachtsman managed to transform his pair of jeans into a life jacket that kept him afloat for more than three hours before being rescued by the coast guard.
Specifically, Arne Murke, 30, was sailing with his brother in Tolaga Bay, on the east coast of New Zealand’s north island, on March 6, when the yacht’s boom swung unexpectedly, whacking him into the water.
As Murke informed the New Zealand Herald newspaper
Luckily, I knew the trick with the jeans. Without the jeans I wouldn’t be here today. They were really the thing that saved me.
Moreover, the yachtsman made knots at the end of the legs and pulled them over the water in order to get air inside and float. Then, he forced the legs of the jeans to trap the air and create a life vest.
After a bit, a rescue helicopter located the yachtsman.
Rescue Coordination Centre NZ Senior Search and Rescue Coordinator Chris Henshaw commented that it was a good thing that the yacht was equipped with a VHF radio and two emergency beacons.
Concluding, the newspaper reported that the two brothers were tourists in New Zealand and took a commission to deliver the yacht to Brazil.
