More from George about Cowes RNLI’s activities over the weekend. Ed
Cowes RNLI lifeboat crew discovered that the lack of a lifejacket on one of three young men riding a single ski-jet made a serious situation a whole lot worse yesterday.
After the three young men, from Bracknell, were thrown into a very choppy
Solent off Calshot this afternoon, the one without a lifejacket was kept buoyant by clinging on to the other two.
As a result no one was able to swim to the nearby ski-jet; they could only watch as their craft drifted away, leaving them bobbing about in the waves.
Fortunately for them, however, their plight was spotted after 15 minutes by boats in the area. All three were taken to Cowes – one aboard a Cowes Harbour craft and the other two on a motor-cruiser.
Cowes lifeboat, tasked to the scene by Solent coastguard, escorted the motor-cruiser to Trinity Landing where an ambulance was waiting to take one of the young men to St Mary’s Hospital.
Also taken to hospital, but from Shepards Wharf, was the person aboard the Cowes Harbour craft; both, however, were soon released after a check-up.
They were soon reunited with the other ski-jet member and their wayward ski-jet, towed to Cowes by another rescue craft.
