The volunteers of Bembridge RNLI launched into the darkness to aid a male with a chest injury on board a 60ft wooden motor vessel during the early hours of this morning (Monday).
Shortly before 01:30, Solent Coastguard requested the launch of the All Weather Lifeboat from Bembridge following a Mayday call from a lone skipper on board the former lifeboat ‘William & Kate Johnson’ – a 43t, 60ft wooden motor vessel. The reported position was 5 nautical miles south of Chichester Harbour.
The lifeboat crew mustered and soon hit the water, making best speed towards the casualty vessel. It was known that the casualty had sustained a chest injury and required urgent assistance as he was unable to operate the vessel.
Around 45 minutes after launching, Bembridge Lifeboat was able to locate the casualty vessel by using Direction Finding equipment. It transpired the wooden former lifeboat was closer to Selsey than Chichester.
Selsey Lifeboat was also launched to the incident and it was decided that the Shannon-class lifeboat would take the casualty to Sparks Marina on Hayling Island, meeting up with a paramedic crew from the South Central Ambulance Service for onward conveyance to hospital.
Meanwhile, Bembridge’s Tamar-class All Weather Lifeboat took the ‘William and Kate Johnson’ under tow to Gosport Marina with 2 of Bembridge’s crew onboard.
More than 4-and-a-half hours after launching, the lifeboat arrived at Gosport at around 06:10 – just as the sun started to rise. A local Coastguard Rescue Team were on scene to assist with mooring the vessel.
After a night of enduring Force 4 Westerleys and heavy rain, the Bembridge crew finally returned to Lane End at 07:15 – some 6 hours after first responded to their pagers.
Well done lads, top effort….