Cowes RNLI Crews Face Double Callout On Final Day Of Cowes Week

(c) Sofia Voudouroglou/RNLI

Cowes RNLI volunteers had a busy end to Cowes Week, responding to two separate incidents on Saturday.

The first call came at around 11am, when a 40-foot yacht ran aground on the southern side of Bramble Bank with five people on board.

The lifeboat Sheena Louise was launched at the request of HM Coastguard and found the yacht listing to starboard.

Nobody was hurt and the vessel was undamaged, so three people remained on board to wait for the incoming tide to refloat it.

RNLI volunteers reset the yacht's anchor in deeper water to help keep it secure as the tide came in, while two people were taken back to Cowes.

The lifeboat returned to station at around 12.30pm and was made ready for another emergency.

That readiness was soon tested.

At around 8.45pm, a 60-foot vessel heading up Southampton Water reported taking on water and called 999.

Cowes RNLI was sent to assist and began pumping water from the vessel after reaching it.

However, the onboard pump could not keep up with the water coming in, so the vessel's owner and his dog were evacuated and taken safely to Cowes RNLI station.

The vessel itself was brought to Trinity Landing, where the Needles Coastguard Rescue Team and firefighters from Ryde were waiting.

A larger pump from the fire service was able to remove a significant amount of water before a decision was made to move the vessel further up the River Medina.

Cowes RNLI escorted it upriver alongside the Cowes Harbour Master, where it was secured for the night.

The lifeboat crew finally returned to station at around 1am.

For Myles, the Cowes RNLI helm on the second callout, the rescue also added another animal to his growing list of unusual rescues.

He's previously helped save a cat, a deer and even a bearded dragon.

This time, it was a dog.

He said the crew had dealt with "a huge variety of callouts" during Cowes Week and praised the volunteers who responded to both incidents, as well as the emergency services they work alongside.