Crew members from Sandown & Shanklin Independent Lifeboat (SSILB) have been busy in The Bay, but not on the water – they’ve been working to repair their storm-damaged boathouse. Adverse weather brought about by Storm Ciaran has forced the concrete on the revetment from the ground and into the roller shutter door, rendering the boathouse door inoperable. It means that the lifeboat can’t be launched to save those in peril on the seas. Significant damage has also been caused to some recently installed foundations for the station’s new boathouse. Mark Birch, SSILB’s Lifeboat Operation Manager has that in his 30+ years with th lifeboat, he has never seen this amount of damage and destruction. Mark has told Island Echo that they are unsure of the extent of any damage caused inside until they can gain access to the ground floor.
