Cowes Lifeboat Goes to the Rescue Twice-Over
A man spotted in the water trying without success to regain his faulty jet-ski led to Cowes RNLi lifeboat being launched this evening (21 July).
First to raise the alarm from their Gurnard seafront home was Sarah Hughes, wife of Jason, a helm with Cowes lifeboat. Jason quickly called Coastguards and went to the station to help man the lifeboat. Launched at 7.30 pm, the lifeboat was soon on the scene, to find that by then the jet-skier and his machine were being taken to Cowes by a yacht, the crew unselfishly abandoning their Tuesday night racing.
Also in the area was a kayaker which had launched from Gurnard to assist the jet-skier. Because the kayak was being swept by the tide, both it and its crewman were lifted on to the lifeboat.
Eventually both rescued jet-ski and kayak, together with their crews, were taken from Cowes by the lifeboat back to Gurnard beach.
Describing the jet-ski incident later, Sarah Hughes, said: “Out of our window I saw the jet-skier apparently having trouble with his engine. He jumped in the water and then had a real struggle to get back onto the jet-ski again. He began waving for help, only for people on another boat just to wave back to him!”
End
RNLI media contact
- George Chastney, Cowes RNLI Volunteer Press Officer 07530 254052/ [email protected]
- Paul Dunt, RNLI Public Relations Manager (London/East/South East) 0207 6207426/ 07785 296252/ [email protected]
- For enquiries outside normal business hours, contact the RNLI duty press officer on 01202 336789
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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