Volunteer lifesavers were kept busy at the weekend, with a large search operation launched on Saturday night when a man was seen entering the River Medina in an attempt to swim across to the Isle of Wight Festival site.
Cowes RNLI’s inshore lifeboat, Sheena Louise, launched at 20:30 on a planned patrol as part of festival safety operations. Just 15 minutes later, at 20:45, the crew were diverted to investigate reports of a man attempting to swim across the river from Newport Rowing Club.
With authorisation from the harbour master, the lifeboat made best speed up the Medina and therefore quickly arrived on scene. Festival security reported they had seen the man enter the water but had not witnessed him emerge. With fading light and an outgoing tide, a thorough search was conducted along the shoreline.
The search involved Cowes RNLI, Bembridge and Needles Coastguard teams, a Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary RIB and festival security vessels.
Despite the extensive operation, no one was located initially. However, just as the teams were preparing to stand down, the man was found safe within the festival grounds.
On Sunday, Cowes RNLI was paged at 10:00 to assist a yacht reportedly taking on water off Calshot Spit. The crew assembled and prepared the lifeboat, but were stood down as Hamble Lifeboat and Solent Rescue had already responded.
Then, at 23:15, the Cowes Lifeboat crew encountered a RIB with faulty navigation lights and no lifejackets during their scheduled festival patrol. The vessel was escorted safely to Shepherd’s Marina and safety advice was provided.
Myles, Cowes RNLI helm throughout the weekend, has said:
“The Isle of Wight Festival is a fantastic event, and it’s great to see so many people enjoying themselves.
“Our job is to help ensure everyone stays safe while they’re having fun on or near the water. Please remember to always follow safety advice, and if you ever find yourself or see someone else in trouble in the water, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.”
It might be a good idea if festival tickets included
ferry crossings in their price for mainland
festival customers.
interesting concept, but only if there is a ticket available for Locals which doesn’t include the massive extra charge for the ferry.
Obviously locals should pay less anyway and
ferry fares are not a concern for attending
such an event, being it’s held on the island.
Why??
If you read the article it says this person was attempting to swim the Medina, not the Solent!
Must be drunk, deluded or a combination of both.
It’s not worth the entry fee, let alone risking your life for, muppet.
I’m wondering if the person they found was offered accommodation, three meals a day, a mobile phone, a bicycle, clothes and a credit card?
Hope he was charged the entry fee plus the cost of calling out the emergency service.
He should have been charged by the police for the cost of the search which combined has to be thousands, also for tieing up so many emergency services, if he is not charged, then this sends out the wrong message and encourages other irresponsible cretins like him to do exactly the same thing, there must be a deterrent, the river Medina has a very dangerous tide, any local will tell you that.
What a ridiculous article – it’s the River Medina…. Not the Atlantic. Little Britain mentality.