Thanks to George for this report from Cowes RNLI, in his own words. Ed
The commitment of Cowes RNLI lifeboat crew to their life-saving role was amply demonstrated in the Solent today when their Cowes Week duties meant the boat was off station for eight hours, during which they attended no fewer than five ‘shouts’.
A 25 foot trimaran, Marmalade, had radioed Solent Coastguards it had a steering problem south of Bramble Beacon.
When the lifeboat, with Scott Armiger at the helm, arrived on the scene one of the trimaran’s two-man crew was found to be managing to operate the rudder with a screwdriver. Cowes lifeboat arranged for Marmalade to be escorted to a mooring in the Hamble River by the local lifeboat.
Assistance for gaffer, Edith Gray
Cowes lifeboat was also tasked to assist the 38 foot old gaffer, Edith Gray, which had gone aground on the Bramble Bank with three people aboard.
Within a few minutes of the lifeboat arriving on the scene, however, the yacht was refloated by the flood tide.
Drama in the Redwing class
A more dramatic incident concerned the Redwing Class open day boat Redstart which capsized and sank close to the Royal London buoy off Bramble Bank in a Force 5 south-westerly.
The three crew were first taken aboard a fleet safety boat and then transferred to the lifeboat which landed them at the Royal Yacht Squadron marina.
Stuck in the mud
Another shout during the day involved a Class 707 sailing dinghy, reported to be stuck on mud at The Shrape, off East Cowes. But the boat floated free without any help.
Then in the evening, after the lifeboat crew had returned to base at Shepards Yard Marina, the lifeboat was alerted for the fifth time.
Children trapped by incoming tide
On this occasion three children were reported trapped by an incoming tide, east of Castle Point, East Cowes. The children, one aged 13 and two 11, had used a mobile phone to report their plight. They were found on a crumbling sea wall.
They were landed by the lifeboat on the east bank of Cowes Harbour, where auxiliary coastguards from Bembridge were waiting to take them home to their parents in East Cowes.
