Busy Bank Holiday for Lymington Lifeboat

At 19.25pm on Saturday 23 August the lifeboat launched to perform a welfare check after reports of a yacht adrift off Bouldnor Bay. Finding the yacht unmanned, the crew made fast the anchor and removed the hazard to shipping.

During Sunday’s Cowes-Torquay-Cowes Powerboat Race a competitors engine overheated and their boat started flooding. At 16.45pm the lifeboat launched to assist, helping stop the engine and keep the boat afloat. Lymington and Hamble Lifeboats combined efforts to recover the vessel and deliver it to Lymington Yacht Haven, where it was promptly lifted out of the water for repairs.

At 14.12 on Bank Holiday Monday the lifeboat launched to assist a small sailing yacht who had become entangled in a lobster buoy close to Hamstead Ledge. The crew were able to release the single-handed sailors yacht with no damage.

RNLI volunteers are trained to respond quickly and effectively in a wide range of maritime emergencies – but they also urge boat owners to take proactive steps to stay safe at sea.

‘We encourage all boat users to regularly service their vessels and carry out essential checks before heading out – that includes inspecting engines, hull integrity, safety equipment and communications gear’ advised Lifeboat helmsman Phil Baker.

The RNLI also reminds anyone who finds themselves or someone else in trouble on or near the water to call for help immediately:

• Dial 999 or 112 and ask for the Coastguard

• Use Channel 16 on a VHF radio, calling ‘Pan-Pan’ in an urgent situation when assistance is required but there is no immediate threat to life or ‘Mayday’ when there is grave and imminent danger to life and immediate assistance is required.

• Be ready to provide your vessel’s name, position, nature of distress, assistance required, and the number of people onboard

Crew: Sat - James Lever (Helm), Piers Horobin, Simon Naylor, Rob Merrix. Sun - James Lever (Helm), Rob Merrix, Piers Horobin, TedWard. Mon - Phil Baker (Helm), Rob Merrix, Piers Horobin, Ollie Janson.

RNLI Contact details:

Jo Styles, Deputy Lifeboat Press Officer, Lymington Lifeboat Station (07725) 640871 Jo_Styles@rnli.org.uk

Hatti Mellor, Regional Communications Manager - SE & London (07724) 801305 hatti_mellor@rnli.org.uk

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.rnli.org/. 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 RNLI is the charity that 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 146,700 lives.

Learn more about the RNLI

For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, X, TikTok 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.