On one of the busiest days in the Solent – the start of the Fastnet Race – Yarmouth RNLI was tasked with assisting one the competing yachts.
The launch request came from the Solent Coastguard at 16:40 on Sunday following a distress call from the ironically named 63ft American racing yacht ‘Lucky’, which had run aground on the notorious Shingles Bank in the western Solent.
When the volunteer crew of the Yarmouth lifeboat arrived on scene the stricken yacht, with a draft of 4.6 metres, was hard aground and heeled right over. The Y boat was immediately deployed from the lifeboat to check that the 18 strong crew were all uninjured and that the vessel was not taking on water.
Six members of the crew were taken off by the yacht’s support RIB and it was then a long wait for the flood tide. When it arrived a tow was established and ‘Lucky’ was pulled clear by the lifeboat at approximately 21:30.
The casualty vessel then made her own way back to the Hamble and the Yarmouth lifeboat returned to station at 21:55.
