Coastguard and RNLI crew from Lymington and Yarmouth were involved in two rescues relating to the Isle of Wight this week.
On Monday (4th September), the Lymington RNLI crew set out on a regular exercise at 7pm. Navigating the waters in the inshore lifeboat, the Atlantic 85 David Bradley, they made their way out of the Lymington River and towards Hurst Castle. However, the exercise took a sudden turn.
Paddleboards being pulled out to sea
At 7.32pm, the Coastguard relayed an urgent call to the lifeboat regarding a 999 emergency. Two individuals on paddleboards near the Needles were being pulled out to sea, carried away by a strong ebbing tide and robust easterly winds. Speed was of the essence.
In collaboration with the Needles Coastguard rescue team, who provided a visual from the shore, the Lymington lifeboat reached the struggling paddleboarders within six minutes.
Both casualties, along with their paddleboards, were safely recovered to the lifeboat and returned to the shore at Alum Bay. The lifeboat then resumed its planned exercise, once given the all-clear by the Coastguard.
A warning from the Helm
Helm James Douch remarked,
“These two casualties were very lucky to have signal on their mobile phones, or this could have been a very different situation.”
He cautioned about the dangers of the setting sun combined with the challenging wind and tide conditions that could have rendered the paddleboarders unnoticed in the vastness of the sea.
The rescue crew on that day comprised Helm James Douch, Greg Pachany, Ollie Janson, and Piers Horobin.
Growing popularity of paddleboarding
Stand-up paddleboarding has seen a surge in its popularity as both a leisure activity and water sport.
The RNLI, being proactive, has compiled a list of safety guidelines for paddleboarders. These include wearing a buoyancy aid, carrying a phone in a waterproof pouch, wearing the correct leash, and being cautious of offshore winds.
For the full list of safety recommendations, one can visit the Website.
Another rescue
Yesterday, on the 6th September, the Lymington voluntary crew was once again called to action.
This time, they were alerted by HM Coastguard about four individuals trapped by the tide, east of Freshwater on the Isle of Wight. Launching its inshore lifeboat B-882 David Bradley at 12.49pm, the crew rushed to the specified location.
Tense moments in Freshwater Cove
The stranded group was found in a cove just east of Freshwater. Owing to a heavy swell, landing the lifeboat directly wasn’t feasible. So, two brave lifeboat crew members swam ashore to assess the situation, discovering one of the individuals had potentially fractured an ankle.
Given the precarious conditions, a helicopter evacuation was deemed safest.
Rescue 175 promptly airlifted the injured individual and another person to the cliff top where they were handed over to the care of the ambulance service. The remaining two were evacuated using Yarmouth lifeboats Y-boat and were subsequently transferred to Lymington lifeboat for further extraction.
The dedicated crew members for this rescue were Declan Oriordan, Gunner Christensen, Rob Merrix, and Ben Jefferies.
Other assisting agencies included the Yarmouth RNLI Lifeboat, Rescue 175, Ventnor CRT, and the Ambulance Service.
