Capsized Dinghy Sailor Sparks Lifeboat Call-Out
A woman, seen to be struggling for some time to regain her capsized sailing dinghy today, led HM Coastguards to decide help from Cowes Lifeboat was sufficiently urgent not to first seek permission to launch from the lifeboat station’s operations manager.
The woman’s plight, off Gilkicker Point, near Gosport, was first reported by a passing boat. When, however, the lifeboat crew arrived on the scene soon after 1 pm they found that the woman had managed to right the dinghy, after all, and was resuming her sailing.
It was the lifeboat’s second ‘shout’ in 16 hours; the first occurred at 8 pm last evening when the lifeboat, while on exercise, was asked to investigate a digital distress signal in mid-Solent. But after a short search the signal was reported to have been activated in error, and the lifeboat returned to its exercise.
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