Man with Waterlogged Jet-Ski Rescued by Lifeboat

UK Coastguards had been alerted that a man had been spotted sitting on a half-submerged stationery jet-ski in the shipping lane, off Osborne Bay. Although he had managed to swim to a passing RIB before the lifeboat arrived, he was then taken aboard the lifeboat.

Clearly suffering from the cold, he was rushed back to the Cowes station to recover. Then the lifeboat returned to the jet-ski to begin an alongside-tow to the public slipway next to the station. With much effort from lifeboat members and a tow from a well-wisher’s truck, the machine was eventually brought up on to The Parade.

The jet-ski owner said he had bought the jet ski second-hand for £4,500, only three days before. The machine suffered some sort of mechanical problem after he had crossed the Solent from Lee on Solent.

Finding that the man had no money, Red Funnel kindly agreed he could travel free of charge on a Red Jet to Southampton, where a friend would be waiting to drive him back to his home in Gosport.

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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