One of the lifeboat crew went onboard to help rig a towline and the vessel was then towed back into Poole Harbour to the fuel berth next to the lifting bridge by the Quay. The lifeboat crew returned to their beds (or early breakfast) at 0600.

1820 On a gorgeous but breezy and chilly evening, Poole inshore lifeboat (ILB) launched to a 6m Fletcher aground just outside the harbour’s entrance. The three men onboard were cold but otherwise unhurt. The ILB managed to tow the vessel off the beach and the men were then transferred to Poole’s all-weather lifeboat (ALB), which was already out in the harbour on exercise, to warm up. The ALB and ILB then made their way to Baiter Park and transferred the boat and men to the shore where Poole coastguards met them.

The ILB then returned to station and the ALB continued with its exercise. Five trainees, undertaking part of their year’s probationary training, were on this call out and exercise, and for four of them this was their first shout after receiving their pagers just over a week ago.

1115 Poole inshore lifeboat (ILB) launched to a report of a yacht and two men stuck in the mud in the Wareham Channel. A 6m bilge keel yacht had set off from Redclyffe yacht club, where the yacht had been over-wintered, with two men onboard. The men were on the way to North Haven yacht club close to the harbour’s entrance but, as they were heading down the Channel, they ran aground at the point where it reaches a bend and bears towards Rockley Point.

One of the men, aged 74 years, had climbed into their dinghy but had fallen overboard. The tide washed him a little way down the Wareham Channel as it caught him unawares. He managed to clamber ashore and although exhausted, he waded through the mud back towards the yacht. Read more of the story here.

1115 During squally weather, with winds gusting to force 6, a 10m yacht (with two people onboard) was being towed by a tender onto a mooring. Just as they were trying to pick up the mooring the tender lost power and the yacht but was blown ashore on the outer edge of the Blue Lagoon in Poole Harbour. Both lifeboats launched with the inshore lifeboat (ILB) arriving on scene first to find that other vessels were also trying to assist. The new Coastguard helicopter, Rescue helicopter 106, was also hovering overhead. Read more of the story here.

0930 Both lifeboats launched on exercise on a snowy morning in biting northerly winds. As they reached Brownsea Roads, near Bell Buoy and the entrance to Poole harbour, they came across a 13m yacht with two people onboard. The yacht had just turned to head into wind to hoist the sails when one of the men onboard was hit on the head by the boom, producing a gash on the forehead. Mechanic Paul Taylor and Deputy Second Coxswain Paul Singleton carried out first aid, applying pressure and two bandages to the injury, while at the same time ensuring that he had no neck or back pain. He was then taken onboard the ALB and taken back to Poole lifeboat station.

While this was going on, the inshore lifeboat came alongside and escorted the yacht into Poole Quay Boat Haven – one ILB crew member, Neil Ceconi, went onboard the yacht to assist. This was his first shout as a probationary crew member. The injured yachtsman was then taken to hospital by ambulance.

1500 A man was rescued from Round Island in Poole Harbour after a lawnmower ran over his foot. The man and his wife had managed to bandage his foot but this didn’t stop the bleeding. Poole inshore lifeboat took only 10 minutes to reach the island where the lifeboat crew took him onboard, added more bandages to try to stem the flow of blood and then raced back to Poole lifeboat station where a waiting ambulance and paramedics transferred him to Poole Hospital at 1540. It is thought that the man lost one of his toes in the incident.

1740 Exactly 12 months on from the day that Senior Helmsman Paul Singleton suffered a compressed fracture of his spine on a call out just outside Poole Harbour, Paul was at the helm of the inshore lifeboat when the crew were called to a broken down jetski. The ILB and crew made their way to the north end of Brownsea Island where one person was in the water after a suspected fire in the jetski’s engine. The ILB took the gentleman onboard and then towed the craft to Baiter Park slipway.

Also onboard the ILB for this shout was Simon Mumford, who was also onboard on the fateful day 12 months ago. The other crew member today was John Vine.

1345 In biting northerly winds, gusting to force 6, the ILB launched to a 5m Dory that had broken down in the Lower Wych Channel. With choppy conditions in the harbour, the ILB crew took five children onboard, while one person stayed onboard the casualty along with a member of the Marine Police. The ILB towed the boat into Baiter Park where the children were taken ashore and able to warm up.