A busy day in June with four shouts for Hayling RNLI

The last weekend in June was a busy one for Hayling RNLI.

On Sunday 23 June, just before midday as the crew finished their Sunday morning exercise, the pagers went off with a request from the Coastguard to assist a boat taking on water at East Head. The Atlantic arrived at the casualty vessel with a salvage pump and after investigation the crew established the boat needed to be taken to safety, so they towed the yacht to Itchenor before returning to the station.

Not long after making the boat ready for service, the Atlantic launched again at 1.45 pm to reports of a boat drifting towards the main shipping channel between Ryde and Portsmouth, having lost it’s steering. Once on scene the lifeboat crew managed to regain the steering and the boat travelled safely on to Portsmouth Harbour, escorted by the lifeboat.

At 3.40pm the pagers went off for a third time, following a report of a boat on fire South of Langstone Harbour. The Atlantic launched and travelled at speed to the given location.

On the casualty vessel were Tim and Nicky Rowe, who have lived on Hayling almost 65 years and had just set off towards the Isle of Wight for a few days. Tim has been sailing in Chichester Harbour and the Solent over 40 years, and his wife Nicky for over 30 years, and this was the first time they had ever needed assistance from the RNLI.

They had not been at sea long when there was a loud bang from the engine bay, followed by what looked like smoke. Tim let off the fire extinguisher into the bay and shut the hatch, and as the boat was drifting on a falling tide with no power, he wasted no time in calling the Coastguard. Following his call, the Atlantic 85 launched and Tim said it he was shortly after that he was very relieved to hear the lifeboat crew make contact on the radio to say they were on their way. The couple had with them their five year old Patterdale Terrier, who was also getting very nervous. Nicky said ‘Herbie nearly always goes sailing with us, he particularly loves our trips to East Head’.

The crew recovered Tim, Nicky and a shivering little Herbie off their stricken vessel on to the lifeboat, and took them all to safety on the shore. The motor boat was then put on a long astern tow and taken to Hayling Ferry Pontoon, where the Langstone Harbour Master and fire service were waiting to carry out full and further checks to ensure the reported fire was now out with no further risk to the vessel.

The lifeboat then returned to station and not long after the crew had prepped the boat and arrived home for a well deserved rest, the pagers went off again at 8.30pm to assist a vessel with engine failure near Chichester Bar Beacon. The lifeboat set off for a fourth time, located the vessel and towed it to safety at Sparkes Marina, before returning and preparing the boat for service once more.

Tim, Nicky and Herbie visited the lifeboat station a week later, greeting the crew with a fantastic selection of homemade cakes, to thank them for the help they received from the RNLI. Tim said ‘The RNLI, fire service and Langstone Harbour Board worked seamlessly together to rescue us that day, and we could not be more grateful for their faultless service.’