An electrical fire aboard a
motor-cruiser carrying a family of five this morning sparked an urgent launch
for Cowes lifeboat.
The 30-foot craft was off Newtown at the time of the call for help. However, by the time the lifeboat arrived alongside the motor-cruiser it had been towed by another craft to off Hurst Point and everyone except the man had transferred to another boat.
Although the lifeboat crew found no sign of fire, there was a strong smell of smoke. Because of a possible risk, the motor-cruiser was barred from entering Yarmouth Harbour, and responsibility for the vessel was subsequently handed over by the lifeboat to the emergency Seastart service.
The lifeboat, which had launched just before 10 am, returned to station at 11.45 am.
Cowes lifeboat approaches Calshot lifeboat on Lepe beach.
RNLI lifeboats from Calshot and Cowes were launched this afternoon following reports of a family in difficulty during a paddle boarding incident off Lepe Beach.
Calshot RNLI lifeboat Atlantic 85 lifeboat was paged at 2.10pm. The volunteer crew arrived to offer assistance to two teenagers and a lady. A fourth male casualty was being airlifted to hospital when the lifeboat arrived.
Cowes
RNLI lifeboat was also launched to assist during the incident.
The Rowers near the end of their marathon row, escorted by Cowes lifeboat.
Four rowers whose specially designed boat had circled Britain to raise funds for the RNLI returned on Sunday to Cowes, where the ambitious challenge all began 43 days and four hours before.
Escorting the boat into Cowes Harbour was the local lifeboat plus well-wishers on other craft. As soon as the boat was moored alongside Trinity Landing the rowers, two men and two women, were given a rousing Champagne dousing.
There was also a chance for Cowes lifeboat members to present a cheque, intended to show that the circumnavigation had raised £8,775 – although the rowers believed the final figure would be nearer £10,000.
Champagne welcome for the rowers. (picture by Nick Edwards)
The boat actually set out from Cowes with a six-strong international crew, but two had to leave at separate times during the row for pressing reasons. The whole circumnavigation of nearly 2,000 miles was done by super yacht captain Andy Burns, formerly from Cowes, Simone Talfauld, freelance film marketeer, from Colchester, James Scott, an electrician and a member of Plymouth RNLI lifeboat,, and Mia Showell-Woodsmith, a lawyer in the City but from Australia.
Giant cheque indicating just some of the money raised. (picture by Nick Edwards)
A fifth rower, Liz Grant, a New Zealander who lives in Southampton and is a chief officer with Red Funnel Steamers, had to leave the boat at Aberdeen for medical reasons, but she was at Cowes to welcome her fellow rowers. The sixth rower, Roy Hubbard, an American, had to leave the boat at Skegness because of a family emergency.
The rowing boat was loaned for the event by Tom and Charlie Salt, and sponsorship came from Aquanobel, a Swedish water company. E
Lymington Lifeboat, who also assisted, seen from Cowes Lifeboat
Cowes lifeboat crossed the Solent this evening to give follow-up support to a life-threatening drama that had involved three young children.
The incident occurred at Lepe when two men swam out to the children, all believed to be under ten, who were clearly in difficulty.
Although the rescuers and rescued safely reached the shore, the lifeboat arrived to find one of the men face down on the beach, struggling to breath. He was given first aid by a lifeboat member, and also then checked by a fireman and a Lymington coastguard before being handed over to an ambulance.
The lifeboat, which had launched at 5.48 pm, returned to station an hour later.EC
A man and two women who were making little progress in lively seas aboard their yacht were finally rescued by Cowes RNLI lifeboat this (Friday) evening.
The alarm was raised when the 29-foot yacht suffered engine failure well off Thorness. To add to the problems the sea was too deep to safely deploy the anchor, and the sails proved not too effective in the strong tide.
The lifeboat towed the yacht to outside Cowes Harbour’s breakwater, where it changed to an alongside tow before bringing the yacht to Trinity Landing. Waiting for its arrival were Ventnor’s coastguards.
The lifeboat, which launched at 5.18 pm returned to station at 7 pm.
Fire-fighters join lifeboat crew members to check out the RIB.
News of a fire aboard a RIB just
outside Cowes Harbour led to the launching of Cowes RNLI lifeboat this (Wednesday)
evening.
The RIB, carrying a man and a woman, reported the emergency when it was just off the harbour breakwater. The couple apparently put the fire out with an extinguisher before the first outside assistance arrived, provided by a training vessel. Although the training vessel started towing the RIB, this task was soon taken over by Cowes lifeboat, with the RIB taking on board crew member Mat Randall.
Lifeboat helm Ady Stothard kept Cowes Harbour Master and Coastguards informed of the on-going situation, including when optimism turned to renewed concern as smoke suddenly emitted from the RIB’s electrics.
It was decided that the safest option would be to beach the RIB on the shore west of Cowes Castle and await the arrival of the fire brigade; only after they had carried out a thorough check did Cowes lifeboat tow the RIB to Trinity Landing.
The lifeboat had been on the service for one and a half hours, having launched at 6.30 pm.
A 27-foot yacht which sailed into double trouble yesterday (Monday) evening, caused the crew of Cowes lifeboat to put their planned exercise on hold.
The yacht had lost power off East Cowes when a mooring line became wrapped around the propeller. To stop it drifting into a shipping lane the father and son aboard dropped the anchor – a seemingly sensible action that was to lead to unforeseen consequences.
When the lifeboat, alerted by Coastguards, arrived at the scene they found that a Royal Yachting Association training boat had already arrived to assist.
Although preparations were then made for the lifeboat to tow the yacht to Cowes, there was another problem to overcome: all efforts to raise the anchor were unsuccessful. The only solution, decided lifeboat helm Ady Stothard, was to obtain the permission of Portsmouth Queen’s Harbour Master for the anchor chain to be cut loose and left on the sea bed.
The yacht, which was based at Portsmouth, was towed to Trinity Landing, and the lifeboat which had been at sea for two hours, returned to station at 9.30 pm.
Cowes RNLI lifeboat had an eventful if not dramatic Cowes Week.
A yacht that had gone aground on Thursday, near the mouth of Beaulieu River was attended to by the lifeboat, leading on to a request for assistance from Calshot station’s more shallow draft D Class lifeboat. Eventually, however, the yacht was re-floated by the tide and continued on its way.
On Friday, when Cowes Week races were cancelled because of rough weather, the lifeboat came across someone with a damaged wing-foil craft he was trying to paddle to Gurnard. He and the craft were towed to the shore, where Needles coastguards were waiting to give assistance.
Then on Saturday the lifeboat crew, while on exercise, responded to a report of an engine room fire aboard a 39-foot motor-cruiser off Calshot, with four people and two dogs aboard.
A lifeboat crew member who went aboard the motor-cruiser found that although there was no longer a fire the engine was unusable. Cowes lifeboat was joined by Calshot lifeboat which towed the cruiser to Hamble.
The Cowes station’s readiness to respond to emergencies was further demonstrated on Sunday, when fully-kitted boat and shore crew members assembled in the boathouse in case they were needed because of the heavy seas whipped up by a strong south-westerly. But they were finally stood down after being told by Coastguards they were not needed after all, and the lifeboat was brought back into the boathouse.E
Two Southampton men who got into difficulties in a strong ebb tide became the subject of a cross-Solent dash by Cowes lifeboat this (Thurs) afternoon.
The men, who were middle-aged, had entered the sea at Stanwood Point, Lepe, and had apparently been struggling after being in the water for about 30 minutes. Fortunately, they were then helped ashore by a kayaker. The lifeboat arrived at the beach to provide initial on the spot medical support.
“We found them to be very tired and to have swallowed a lot of water,” said lifeboat crew member Jack Banks. “We provided casualty care and were joined by coastguards from Lymington. Eventually the men were taken by ambulance to hospital in Southampton.
“The reason they gave for taking the plunge was they just wanted to cool off in the heat.”
The lifeboat had launched at launched at 2 pm and returned to station at 2.55 pm.
Calshot RNLI Lifeboat and Lymington Coastguard Rescue Team were also tasked.
A Saturday morning training
exercise for Cowes RNLI lifeboat suddenly took on an animal rescue role today when
the crew were amazed to see a young deer swimming in the Solent.
The deer, of the Muntjac variety found in the New Forest, had apparently been carried some three miles across the Solent by the tide, to end up off Princes Green, Cowes.
“To say we were surprised was an under-statement,” said lifeboat helm Myles Hussey. “Even the Coastguard had to be told three times before they believed us!”
“It was quite exhausted and cold when we got it over the stern of the boat. A member of our crew, Felicity Elliott, a doctor at Newport’s St Mary’s Hospital, then quickly wrapped it in a blanket.”
The young deer was taken back to the lifeboat station and put in the shower room, where it was given a drink and again wrapped in a blanket, to await being picked up by the RSPCA.
“I always wanted to rescue a dog, but instead it was a deer,” said Myles. “And because of the tide at the time we named the youngster Ebbing.”C
