Ventnor Coastguard Rescue Team and Sandown & Shanklin Independent Lifeboat were tasked to reports of a 40ft catamaran drifting in Sandown Bay yesterday afternoon (Wednesday).
A 999 call was made just before 14:40 reporting that the large vessel was drifting and dragging its anchor just off the shore near Sandown Pier.
Once on scene, Ventnor CRT found the vessel to be around 100 yards off of Sandown Lifeboat Station. It was determined that the vessel was at anchor although close inshore – likely taking cover from the adverse weather.
Although alerted to the situation and primed ready for launch, the volunteer crew of Sandown & Shanklin Independent Lifeboat were not required to launch their inshore lifeboat in the end.
No persons were believed to be at risk.
Coastguard officers have praised the first informant for doing the right thing and alerting the emergency services to the situation.
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/.
Get help faster by giving emergency services your exact location by using ///what3words.
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.
