A man tied together a wooden door, a broom, a clothes airer and three polystyrene body boards with washing line and attempted to sail to Alum Bay, on the Isle of Wight yesterday.
The 33-year old, who was described as ‘lucky to be alive’, was rescued by the RNLI Mudeford lifeboat from Christchurch, Dorset, after getting just 600ft from the beach in Milford-on-Sea where he set off from, before the cobbled-together craft broke up.
Clinging on for 40 minutes
Colin Tabor, from Lymington Coastguard told the Daily Echo,
“He is a very lucky to be alive – he would not have lasted much longer.”
He was treated for shock and hypothermia when we was returned to the shore by his rescuers.
Man believed he was well-prepared
The Coastguard said the man wasn’t intoxicated and honestly believed he had been well-prepared for his voyage.
He was wearing a T-shirt and shorts, and had no lifejacket, flares or radio.
He’d used a parasol as a temporary sail and had brought along a lantern and a bag of tea lights to use as a navigational aid.
A call to 999 from the beach led to the man’s rescue.
Heading to sea? Be prepared
In a message to any budding adventurers, the Coastguard said
“Our message is that anyone going out on the sea must be prepared – wear the appropriate protective clothing and a lifejacket, take flares for use in an emergency and always carry a radio.”
Source: Daily Echo
Image: © Used with the kind permission of RNLI Mudeford
