Cowes RNLI lifeboat had an eventful, if not dramatic, end to Cowes Week this year with a variety of challenges for the volunteer crew.
A yacht that had gone aground near the mouth of Beaulieu River last Thursday was attended to by the lifeboat, leading on to a request for assistance from Calshot station’s more shallow draft D-Class lifeboat. Eventually, however, the yacht was re-floated by the tide and continued on its way.
Then on Friday, when Cowes Week races were cancelled because of rough weather, the lifeboat came across someone with a damaged wing-foil craft he was trying to paddle to Gurnard. He and the craft were towed to the shore, where Needles Coastguard Rescue Team were waiting to give assistance.
The next day – Saturday – the lifeboat crew, while on exercise, responded to a report of an engine room fire aboard a 39ft motor cruiser off Calshot, with 4 people and 2 dogs aboard.
A lifeboat crew member who went aboard the motor cruiser found that although there was no longer a fire the engine was unusable. Cowes lifeboat was joined by Calshot lifeboat, the latter of which towed the cruiser to Hamble.
The Cowes station’s readiness to respond to emergencies was further demonstrated on Sunday when fully-kitted boat and shore crew members assembled in the boathouse in case they were needed because of the heavy seas whipped up by a strong south-westerly. But they were finally stood down after being told by Solent Coastguard they were not needed after all.
Rough weather shout – yesterday, @cowes_week racing was cancelled, we went for some rough weather training. We came across a wing boarder with damaged equipment attempting to paddle back to shore. We took them aboard and handed them over to @needlescrt at Gurnard. #RNLI pic.twitter.com/WCDmrBzNmt
— Cowes RNLI Lifeboat Station (@CowesRNLI) August 7, 2021
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