Cowes lifeboat responds to shipping lane emergency
The need to reach a speed boat which had broken down in a Solent shipping lane, being used by several cruise liners outward bound on Sundays from Southampton, became a top priority for Cowes RNLI lifeboat this evening.
The speed boat, Hard Rider, with three men aboard, had lost power and was drifting near West Bramble Buoy. The lifeboat launched at 6.35 pm and eventually towed the speed boat to Calshot.
One of Hard Rider’s crew members was then taken up Southampton Water by the lifeboat to Hythe where the speed boat had been launched. Fortunately, as this operation got underway the speed boat regained its power and duly followed the lifeboat up to Hythe without further incident.
The lifeboat returned to station at 7.46 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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