Unwell yachtswoman rushed ashore by Cowes lifeboat
An unwell woman aboard a 28-foot yacht with a broken down engine led to Cowes RNLI lifeboat racing across the Solent this (Thurs) evening.
The yacht was reported to be drifting north-east of Hillhead Buoy, close to the Hampshire shore.
The lifeboat launched at 6.10 pm, and eventually took the woman aboard for a speedy return to Cowes; then at Trinity Landing the woman, was helped by Ventnor coastguards and an ambulance crew to a waiting ambulance and taken to St Mary’s Hospital, Newport.
At 7.50 pm the yacht, too, arrived at Trinity Landing, having been towed across the Solent by a RIB. The yacht’s three remaining crew members had been joined for the crossing by a member of the lifeboat crew.
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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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