Crew members of Cowes RNLI lifeboat lived up to the scouts’ ‘Be Prepared’ motto this evening (Friday) after learning they were urgently needed to help a dinghy sailor in obvious difficulties in the water.
As the volunteer crew hurriedly donned their dry suits in readiness for launching, another call came through to say the sailor was out of danger and safely back on dry land.
The sailor had apparently been in the water well off the Gurnard shore for 40 minutes as he struggled to recover his dinghy. Eventually, however, one of three other dinghy sailors in the area managed to tow the craft and sailor back to Gurnard Sailing Club.
Operations manager Mark Southwell was, however, not at all put out by the lifeboat’s no-show. He said:
“We’d much rather be alerted about a possible problem even when it turns out our presence was not needed.
“All four dinghy sailors were very competent, especially local boat designer Jo Richards who managed the tow – itself quite a feat. And fortunately the rescued sailor did not need medical treatment.”
