A Mayday call from a French racing yacht led to the launch of Cowes RNLI lifeboat late last night (Sunday).
Solent Coastguard requested the launch of the inshore lifeboat when a distress call was picked up from a 40ft yacht shortly before 22:40.
The yacht’s crew of 2 reported they had ‘bottomed out’. It was not entirely clear where exactly they were or what they might have hit bearing in mind it was high water.
The Lifeboat Operations Manager – known as a LOM – agreed to the launch to assess what had actually happened.
Just prior to launch, with the thunderstorm overhead, the yacht reduced the immediacy of the call to a Pan Pan after the yacht crew found no water coming in.
Shortly after the lifeboat had gone afloat HM Coastguard stood down the volunteers. However, it was agreed in view of the initial confusion over events it was best for the lifeboat to locate the yacht and escort it to the safety of Cowes Harbour.
Boat and shore crew ensured safe berthing of the yacht on Trinity Landing, where it remained overnight.
The casualty vessel was on the first leg of the 1,000 mile Normandy Channel Race and it is believed they struck the western edge of the Cowes breakwater.
So that’s one more boat and crew with good reason to hate Cowes new breakwater.
That’s one more skipper that needs practice his nav.
I bow to your intimate knowledge of the extent of the underwater obstruction, and to your boat-handling skills and chart-reading in storm conditions while supposedly in the confines of a safe harbour.
Thankyou.
According to the Normandy Channel Race website, a whole load of yachts left France at 5am on Sunday and crossed the channel then entered the East end of the Solent around 10pm and reached Cowes around 11pm. in the storm. So not only, presumably, not at all familiar with the new breakwater but also in the dark and in very poor weather conditions. One has to wonder if they had up to date electronic charts showing the new breakwater since the track suggests it was the new one they struck.