Bembridge RNLI’s All Weather Lifeboat was launched to assist a 36ft yacht with 3 people on board yesterday (Monday) after the casualty vessel lost steering in Hayling Bay.
The ‘Alfred Albert Williams’ launched at 15:20 at the request of Solent Coastguard.
Hayling Island RNLI’s Atlantic 85 lifeboat was already standing by the yacht – that had anchored – but sea conditions were such that the Tamar-class lifeboat from Bembridge was judged to be the safest option to tow the yacht into the smoother waters of Chichester Harbour.
Although it did not take the volunteer crew from Bembridge long to get to the yacht, it did take a bit of time to successfully connect the tow in the 1 metre+ sea with winds gusting 27 knots.
Once clear of the sandbanks to the west of the harbour entrance and in calmer conditions, the Alfred Albert Williams handed the tow over to Hayling Island’s Atlantic 85 and returned to Bembridge.
She was re-housed by 17:30.
Self inflicted, and unprofessional of the crew…
Steering can be lost due to all sorts of issues including mechanical or hydraulic systems failure, entanglement with pot markers, impact with floating debris etc. So without the full facts of the circumstances that caused the steering failure, comments derogatory to the crew are not appropriate.
Please, do share your evidence with the rest of us, i would love to hear the Facts…