Ryde Inshore Rescue went to the aid of a 37ft yacht aground on Ryde Sands this afternoon (Easter Sunday).
Solent Coastguard paged the volunteer lifeboat crew at 15:55 after it was reported that a yacht with 9 persons on board has gone aground on the infamous sands on a falling tide.
Ryde Rescue 1 was launched but by time the lifeboat arrived on scene at 16:10 the casualty vessel – Ellie B – was very much aground – and won’t be going anywhere for quite a few hours yet.
With all persons on board well and the vessel checked for any damage, 5 persons were taken ashore so they could make their own way home to Portsmouth. 4 crew members were left on board to wait for the tide to turn to refloat the yacht later on this evening.
A welfare check will be made in a couple of hours and the lifeboat will relaunch if assistance is required.
Some people don’t have any BRAINS!!!
Maybe yachts should pay a sea tax or rescue tax as they do use a free service and most of these owners seem to be wealthy after all we pay Road tax and roadside assistance payments with AA or RAC etc.
I believe a donation is usually requested .
You would think if you have enough sense to be able to own a yacht, you would have enough sense to know how to steer one! Oh don’t worry it’s okay ya, trust me I know what I’m doing ha ha ha ha ha! Oops. Gosh it was only two days ago I crash my range Rover into a tree!
what a week!
There is no excuse for these groundings, the sands are clearly marked on paper and electronic charts as well as marker posts at the edge of the sands, the owners should be charged a fee to cover the costs of the rescue services who have to deal with their incompetence.
Surprisingly, unlike driving a road vehicle, anyone can buy a boat and go to sea with no training, no instruction, no experience, no knowledge of chart reading, perhaps, possibly, even with no safety equipment on board etc etc.
Time this was changed and updated to save lives.
Charts are readily available for anyone going to sea. You just have to buy one. Then again, that does assume you actually understand them!