
Early morning fog rescue for Calshot RNLI
On Friday 18 October Calshot RNLI were involved in an early morning shout to rescue a seven-metre motorboat that had got into difficulty in the foggy conditions near Cowes.
The casualty vessel left Yarmouth early in excellent visibility, using their auxiliary outboard motor as they had repairs planned in Gosport. However, by the time the casualty was east of Cowes conditions had deteriorated and visibility was less than 200 metres.
Recognising the situation, the casualty attempted to call for help, however realised that they didn’t have any charge on their mobile phone. Fortunately they did have a VHF radio and had also been able to tie to a navigation ‘Special Mark’ whilst waiting for assistance.
Calshot RNLI volunteers were paged at 6.29am and recognising the challenging conditions, helm Andy Headley selected the most experienced crew available from those that responded. Launching Calshot’s Atlantic 85 B Class Lifeboat Max Walls, the crew utilised their advanced navigation training to plot a route to the casualty position. They then used their RADAR and Direction Finder to locate the casualty on the water, as visibility remained very poor.
Having established contact with the casualty vessel, they placed it in an alongside tow taking them to Trinity Landing where assistance was provided by Bembridge CRT and the Cowes Harbour Master.
Crew then needed to return to Calshot lifeboat station and with visibility remaining very poor, they once again used their advanced navigation skills to make their way back.
Helm, Andy Headley said of the shout: ‘The visibility on the shout today was the worst we have ever encountered lasting for a sustained period over a wide area. As a crew we train for these situations, and without that training we would not have been able to locate and successfully recover the casualty. The level of trust and teamwork required on such a challenging shout as this is immense and every crew member executed their roles perfectly.
I would encourage water users to check the weather forecast in advance before travelling as conditions can rapidly change, as evidenced today and also ensure that your methods of communication in the event of an emergency are charged and functional.’
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For more information please contact:
Justyn Leonard, Lifeboat Press Officer on 07540 920678 or email [email protected]
Neil Lewin, Deputy Lifeboat Press Officer on 07727 600518 or email [email protected]
RNLI Press Office on 01202 336789
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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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