Cowes Lifeboat Goes to Aid of Unconscious Yachtswoman

The woman had apparently fallen backwards as she attempted to sail in a brisk south-easterly wind, and during the incident twice knocked her head and received pelvic injuries as well as a possible spinal injury.

The lifeboat, which launched at 2 pm, transferred the barely conscious woman from the Kingston Marina training pontoon to Kingston, East Cowes, where she was treated in an ambulance. Although the Hampshire and Isle of Wight air ambulance also attended, it was decided the woman should be taken by the ambulance to St Mary’s Hospital.

Hardly had the lifeboat returned to station, that at 3.20 pm it was launched again, this time in response to a report that a jet-skier had ended up in the water near the Cowes Harbour entrance. The emergency began when the jet-ski had broken down in and was taken in tow by a yacht, but had then capsized.

The man, who was given a blanket but declined any further treatment, was taken to Trinity Landing. Meanwhile the jet-ski was towed to Cowes by a local harbour commission launch.

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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