The person was originally reported to have gone overboard somewhere between Stakes Buoy and Parkstone Yacht Club.
From 2:30am both Lifeboats conducted an extensive search of the harbour working alongside Search and Rescue helicopter 175, conditions were clear and good.
The Coastguard teams from Kimmeridge Coastguard, Poole Coastguard Rescue Team and Southbourne Coastguard, searched from the shore and the D class transported some of the Kimmeridge Coastguard across to Brownsea to extend the search around the Island, police were also on scene on the shore and later afloat.
The lifeboats returned to station at 7am to refuel and change of crew, the major search continued with the lifeboat volunteers checking moored vessels, pontoons and expanding the search to other parts of the harbour.
Another crew change and refuel took place at noon; the Helicopter 175 from Lee-on Solent re-joined the search.
Information was coming through via 999 from vigilant persons ashore, throughout the day which the lifeboats were tasked to investigate.
Just after 3pm the D class was re-tasked to the Wareham area to standby and assist the police, this was not related to the first incident.
The Atlantic returned to station just before 2:30pm to refuel, whilst at the station, station volunteers were called out to the quayside to assist an injured person on a boat that had come alongside, casualty care was administered, and the injured person went off to hospital.
Poole Lifeboat was then tasked at 4pm to the passenger boat ‘Dorset Belle’ which was heading towards Bournemouth Pier, they had a passenger on-board experiencing a medical episode. The lifeboat arrived on scene, to find the person had been landed safely on to the Pier and was being cared for by Southwest District Ambulance Service.
Both lifeboats returned to station after a huge shift, 15 hours refuelling once more then a debrief, the lifeboats were ready for service by 6pm.
Volunteer lifeboat helm Jonathan Clark said.
‘Our thoughts are with the friends and family of the missing person at this time’.
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.
