
Music Festival Meant Three Nights Afloat for Cowes Lifeboat
Cowes RNLI lifeboat was putting safety first when it joined the many boats gathered in the upper reaches of the River Medina during the three nights while the Isle of Wight Festival was underway on Newport’s east bank over the weekend.
It was there to provide cover, supplementing the duties of the Island coastguards on shore – just in case there were problems aboard one of the boats or someone got into difficulties when attempting to gate-crash the festival by swimming across the river. Fortunately there was no such dramatic events, although there were cases where useful advice was provided.
Miles Hussey who helmed the lifeboat on all three nights, said. “We much appreciated the involvement of Island coastguards, for whom we were able to provide radio contact with their Solent headquarters near Fareham. All told, we must have spent a total of nine hours on the river over the three nights, each stretching to 1.30 am.”
He said the boats at anchor included quite a few from various Hampshire ports.
RNLI media contact
- George Chastney, Cowes RNLI Volunteer Press Officer 07530 254052/ [email protected]
- Hatti Mellor, National Media Manager 07724801305 Email hatti[email protected]
- For enquiries outside normal business hours, contact the RNLI duty press officer on 01202 336789
· RNLI online: For more information on the RNLI please visit http://www.cowes-lifeboat.org.uk or http://www.rnli.org/ Cowes Lifeboat Station can also be found on Facebook and Twitter
· News releases and other media resources, including RSS feeds, downloadable photos and video, are available at the RNLI News Centre.
Key facts about the RNLI: The Royal National Lifeboat Institution is the charity that saves lives at sea. Our volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland from 236 lifeboat stations, including four along the River Thames and inland lifeboat stations at Loch Ness, Lough Derg, Enniskillen and Lough Ree. Additionally the RNLI has more than 1,000 lifeguards on over 180 beaches around the UK and operates a specialist flood rescue team, which can respond anywhere across the UK and Ireland when inland flooding puts lives at risk. A charity registered in England and Wales (209603) and Scotland (SC037736). Charity number CHY 2678 in the Republic of Ireland.
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.
Learn more about the RNLI
For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.
Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries
Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.