A young woman was rescued from the water by a passing boat and Cowes RNLI after her dinghy capsized near Thorness Bay on Sunday afternoon.
The crew of the Sheena Louise launched at 14:00, having been tasked by HM Coastguard to investigate an ongoing transmission on the emergency Channel 16.
While on their way towards the source of the transmission, HM Coastguard alerted the crew to a young woman in the water between Thorness Bay and Newtown Creek. The woman had been sailing a small dinghy that had taken on water and inverted, and she was unable to right it.
A passing yacht had noticed her and called HM Coastguard, while a motor cruiser assisted her out of the water to safety. On arrival, the Cowes RNLI crew helped to right the dinghy and towed it to safety at Gurnard Beach.
The crew returned to Cowes RNLI Station at 16:00 and washed down the lifeboat, ready for the next shout. The source of the intermittent transmission on Channel 16 was not found.
Adam Wilson, helm at Cowes RNLI, said:
“We were happy to help a sailor today. Passing boats were able to assist until we arrived and took her to safety. As a lifesaving charity staffed by volunteers, we are always happy to help anyone who gets in trouble in the water, and grateful for the support of the public.”
It wasn’t an intermittent transmission, it was continuous for over an hour, jamming the emergency channel. Usual cause is someone sitting on their VHF radio. In this case, one could hear music in the background and a lady chattering. Thoughtless and dangerous.