Yesterday (Thursday 8 September) Dover RNLI were paged at 8.05am to reports of a capsized boat mid channel in the south west shipping lane approximately 4 miles north of the Varne.
From a distance when approaching the debris in the water Dover RNLI volunteer crew members suspected it was part of a shed floating! Upon closer inspection and volunteer crew member Adam Dixon jumping into the water, the crew discovered it was actually part of a wheelhouse from a fishing vessel.
Deputy 2nd Coxswain Robert Bendhiaf said 'HM Coastguard confirmed the wheelhouse was debris from a fishing vessel which sunk a number of weeks ago in the Solent. The wreck had been marked by Trinity House'.
Leaving large debris floating within the busiest shipping lanes in the world just wasn't an option, Dover RNLI crew used the boat crane to winch the wheelhouse remains onto the deck of the Severn class lifeboat to prevent danger to shipping and boaters using the south west shipping lane.
Upon further investigation by Dover RNLI, we can report the wheelhouse was indeed from the fishing vessel which Lymington RNLI and Yarmouth RNLI crews attended on Saturday 6 August in the Solent. Lymington RNLI volunteer crew members evacuated the two occupants of the vessel and once on scene Yarmouth RNLI begun to use their salvage pump in an attempt to save the vessel from sinking. With the assistance of Yarmouth RNLI both crews were unable to save the sinking vessel.
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.
