Cowes RNLI Lifeboat, Ventnor Coastguard Rescue Team and Police were called out to a speedboat with 3 intoxicated males on board after it ran aground in East Cowes last night (Saturday).
Solent Coastguard tasked Cowes Lifeboat at around 22:40 following a call for help made by the speedboats’ occupants.
It didn’t take long for the volunteer lifeboat crew to locate the casualty vessel on the rocks at Castle Point. Lifeboat crewman Mark Crook got into the water and was able to carry across a towline. The speedboat was then pulled clear of danger and a tow got underway to Trinity Landing, Cowes.
Ventnor Coastguard Rescue Team, who were called out at 23:15, were tasked to meet the lifeboat and speedboat at Trinity Landing. But things didn’t go quite as smoothly as was hoped…
Casualty care was provided to the trio but they decided that they didn’t want to co-operate with Her Majesty’s Coastguard. Instead, they sought support from local Police, who were in fact there to support the Coastguard Rescue Team.
With the assistance of Police, Coastguard Officers managed to provide safety advice to the drunken males as none of them were wearing lifejackets or had any understanding of what safety kit was required for a boat.
It has been confirmed that the 19ft speedboat, based out of Hamble, is owned by a 33-year-old man. He had jumped into the water to push the boat away from the rocks so was cold and wet.
It’s known that the 3 men had travelled to several locations on both sides of the Solent before running into serious engine trouble near Castle Point.
The game was over when they snapped the ignition key.
If you or someone else is in difficulty on the coast or at sea, or if you spot what you think may be unexploded ordnance, then dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard. Further safety information can be found at https://coastguardsafety.campaign.gov.uk/.
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Hope you can get charged with being drunk in charge of boat complete utter knobs
And will they pay for this service ? I think not
So if they had hit a ferry 100s people delayed,hit expensive Yaught – No insurance, hit small fishing boat/inflatable/kyack – could of been deaths , why were they not arrested, boat confiscated and sold towards cost of operation etc
YACHT
Yacht.!!
YACHT. !!
Well said, ‘Yaught’,. Quite likely, don’t you know? Yaughties!
All together now .
What shall we do with a drunken sailor, arrest and fine him.
What shall we do with a drunken sailor
What shall we do with a drunken sailor
~ ~ ~ ~
Early in the morning
Come on, sing along.
Someone had to say it.
Why wasn’t the driver of the boat arrested.
I call for an inquiry into the actions of the police for failing to arrest.
??? An enquiry? What a waste of time. Always police at fault? Maritime law is very different to traffic law, and they have to way up the success of a conviction. This wouldn’t have got past CPS! No regulations on having any licence to drive boats, no requirement for insurance either. The law needs changing first. Luckily no one injured or killed. Bad behaviour, totally irresponsible for sure. Unfortunately, this would have gone nowhere. As bad as that is, that’s the way it is. Change the law and things will be different.
How are the police at fault? They can only arrest and charge if an offence has been committed or reason to believe it has been committed. The police do not make laws, they only enforce them.
Sadly no crime committed. Law needs to be put into force.
Not even wasting police time?
Seize the boat.
They put themselves in that position, So its self inflicted, They should be given a bill for the combined cost of the services deployed to aid them,,I could be wrong but had they not endangered life at sea ??? and is this an offence under maritime law, I could be wrong ???
As sailing ‘was’ once the preserve of the rich, which it no longer is, the laws were made to allow the elite to drink as they know how to behave and act with decorum.
The lower classes now by luck, work, but often drug dealing money, can all now afford to sail in various crafts, but haven’t the respect, dignity and class of the former elite.
Like a waster winning millions, it doesn’t buy you class, you are ‘still’ what you,
The working class buy designer clothing and products to try to ‘fit in’ and look like their idols, but you can’t guild a Lilly. The tattoos, painted eyebrows on orange faces, and language soon give the game away.
The word you are looking for is ‘chavs’ …
Looking at the ‘elite’ in charge (or not) of our country i beg to differ.
Yes – you could be wrong but I could be wrong!
Love the key board warriors were not drug dealer neither were we highly intoxicated the key snapped in the ignition some body has spelt yacht wrong aswell we will be donating to the life boat
For the first time in over 10 years we called out for rescue , life jackets were on board but not needed don’t believe everything you read
The Queen’s Harbourmaster Portsmouth may be able to do something.
He is responsible for maritime safety in his area, and his jurisdiction extends to Cowes.
Causing a danger to shipping could well an offence.
Other than that, as others have pointed out, you can only be charged for breaking a Law in the Statute Book.
It would probably take a lot of will to get a prosecution.
Condemn the boat as unseaworthy and break it up.
The powers that be should sell the boat and give the proceeds to the RNLI.
It is illegal to be drunk in charge of a boat , same laws as Drunk Driving .
Is it? While it should be, maritime law is considerably more relaxed.
What shall we do with!!!!
How much has that cost us mugs again. Should have left them there to sober up.
The Police do not have the powers to breathalyse amatuer boat users. Cowes Harbour master and his deputies do. But I don’t think they know how to.
Should be charged for the call out.
Sorry but thats Cowes….known as West Cowes ! Going of the photos. Come on echo…get your facts straight.
Just for this one time, the site is not wrong. I have to give them credit where it’s due.
The photo is actually of the boat after it was towed from Castle Point at East Cowes, to Trinity Landing at Cowes.
I’ve always known that the two separate towns are correctly called Cowes and East Cowes.
Should have been pushed out to sea
Why bother to ‘rescue’ them, the rest of the night on the beach would have done them good.
There is a song about what to do with drunken sailors with suitable advice given. Why wasn’t it followed?
‘Left hand down a bit!’
And how much was the editor of the echo paid to promote What3Words?