Cowes lifeboat urgently tasked to remove shipping hazard
Cowes RNLI lifeboat performed a valuable service to both a small fishing boat and shipping in the Solent this evening.
Solent Coastguards asked the lifeboat to go to the aid of a 16 foot angling vessel with two men aboard which had broken down well off Osborne Bay. The request was made more urgent because Southampton Harbour Master had ordered ships to slow-down as the crippled craft, the Sea Doris, was in the shipping channel.
The Sea Doris, thought to have remained anchored in the channel for about 90 minutes, was towed to Cowes by the lifeboat.
Lifeboat helmsman Mark Harker was accompanied by two crew members for whom this was their first ‘shout’: Anne Simpkin and Piers Tyler. The lifeboat was launched at 6.55 pm and returned to station at 8.20 pm.
Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.
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Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries
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