MOTOR CRUISER WITH ROPE AROUND RUDDER ASSISTED BY BEMBRIDGE LIFEBOAT CREW

Bembridge RNLI’s All Weather Lifeboat launched to assist a motor cruiser that had reported having a fouled prop ant lunchtime today (Sunday).  The All Weather Lifeboat was tasked to launch by Solent Coastguard at 12:50, with the mission of assisting the 4 persons on board the 11m casualty vessel. It did not take the volunteer crew long to locate the motor cruiser once they had used the Direction Finding facility on the Tamar-class lifeboat to track her down. It turned out that the rope was in fact around the rudder, rather that the prop, but it still meant that she was unable to get back to Langstone Harbour without help. Having transferred a member of the Lifeboat crew to the casualty vessel, Bembridge Lifeboat took the motor cruiser under tow (using a drogue to keep the tow in line) to the fuel berth at Southsea Marina. The lifeboat returned to the boathouse at Bembridge by 15:15.