This in from Cowes lifeboat, in their own words – Ed
Warm praise for crew members of Cowes lifeboat was voiced by the station’s operations manager, after the boat completed three days of active service – not only taking part in a local boat show but also responding to three emergency call-outs.
“This was a real true test of the voluntary commitment of all the individuals concerned,” declared Mark Southwell, after the lifeboat completed its final ‘shout’ of the period.
On all three days the fully crewed lifeboat was a floating attraction at the RIBEX show at Cowes Yacht Haven – the highlight being several ‘man overboard’ demonstrations before hundreds of visitors and exhibitors.
Yacht hard aground
However, the second demonstration on Saturday had to be delayed while Cowes lifeboat raced across the Solent to go to the aid of the 27 foot yacht, Duet, which had gone hard aground in mid-Solent on the Brambles sandbank, with a man and a woman on board.
When the water was found to be too shallow to get close to the boat, crewman Steve Price waded 35 metres through the water with a tow line. The yacht was hauled off the sand and after passing a hull inspection was able to proceed under its own power.
Fouled by a tow-rope
When the lifeboat was at the show this afternoon it received another alert from Solent coastguards. This time the 34 foot motor-cruiser Abachi reported its propeller had been fouled by a tow-rope it was using to try to refloat a 38 foot yacht that had grounded at the entrance to Newtown Creek.
Although the yacht eventually refloated and was found to be fully seaworthy again, the Abachi was towed by the lifeboat into the creek to await the arrival of a diver from Lymington.
Engine swamped
Then as the lifeboat was returning to Cowes it was asked to help a five metre speedboat. Carrying a man and three women, it had broken down at the entrance of Southampton Water after the engine was swamped by a wave in the choppy sea and freshening south-westerly. Although initially the lifeboat took the craft in tow, this task was later taken over by Hamble lifeboat; two of the women however – including one suffering from cold – were conveyed by Cowes lifeboat to Southampton.
The lifeboat had been on duty a total of 23 hours over the three days, with helmsman Simon Hawkins and Steve Price being part of the crew throughout the period.
Praise was also voiced by Mark Southwell for Cowes lifeboat’s shore-workers who had willingly put aside their domestic obligations to deal with the lifeboat every time it returned to its air-berth at Shepards Wharf.
