A family’s first night aboard their newly-purchased boat became one they will never forget when cries for help in the darkness led to the rescue of 2 people who had spent almost 5 hours in the sea.
As first reported by Island Echo, a man, woman and dog were pulled from the sea late last night after a near 5-hour ordeal.
The Proctor family had only been on the Isle of Wight for a few hours, having recently collected their new boat from Beaulieu. After having some dinner, they headed to bed at around 22:00.
Just over an hour later, 46-year-old Chris Proctor and his daughters, Lola (10) and Lily (12), were asleep aboard their boat, anchored off Priory Bay, when Chris heard what sounded like a cry for help.
Unsure whether he had imagined it, Chris – who later told Island Echo he initially thought he was dreaming – woke his daughters, who also heard the cries. The family headed on deck and began searching the darkness with a powerful searchlight. After a short while, someone called back.
With his daughters holding the searchlight, Chris manoeuvred the boat closer to the voices. Moments later, a small dinghy came into view with a man and woman clinging to its side. Perched on top was their dog.
During a brief exchange, the couple repeatedly told Chris they were “so cold” and “so tired” before thanking him and his family for finding them.
Chris immediately contacted HM Coastguard, which tasked Bembridge RNLI to the scene. Ventnor and Bembridge Coastguard Rescue Teams also responded from land.
The rescue operation was taken over by the crew of Bembridge RNLI’s All-Weather Lifeboat, who brought the casualties ashore, where they were transferred into the care of medical professionals.
Speaking about the rescue, Chris exclusively told Island Echo:
“When you’ve spent a lot of time at sea, it’s just something you do. You don’t really think about it – it’s instinctive at that point.
“The RNLI were incredible. The fact they responded so quickly and sent 2 boats was really impressive. It would have been very difficult for me to get them out of the dinghy myself, so we were fortunate they were there.
“The dog was the star of the show, standing on top of the dinghy. He was absolutely fine though.
“Capsizing is something that’s quite easy to do, but for it to end up with people spending 4 hours in the water and being swept out to sea is quite rare.
“It was an incredible thing for my daughters to witness – a real eye-opener.
“It would be nice to know they’re all okay.”
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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what3words have divided the world into 3m squares and given each square a unique combination of three words, which means when you are in a remote area of the Isle of Wight you can get assistance much quicker without the need for local knowledge.
WOW!!!!! They must be so grateful. Well done