Shouts

1620 The inshore lifeboat launched to a windsurfer who had got into difficulties on the Hook Sands due to adverse weather conditions. Once the ILB was on scene the lifeboat crew got the gentleman and his board onboard and then proceeded to Shore Road where he was landed safely ashore.

The ILB was then was retasked to a kitesurfer in trouble off Branksome Chine. Again the lifeboat crew brought the gentleman and board ashore safely.

As the ILB was making its way back to the station the crew were tasked to a jetski that had broken down in the surf near Branksome Chine. The ILB towed the jetski to Salterns Marina and the ILB finally returned to station at 1730 – a quick flurry of shouts!

0330 Both lifeboats launched to a report of a Dory overdue by 5 hours with five people onboard. The vessel was believed to have been fishing in the western part of the harbour. After launching, the ILB contacted Poole Harbour Control to ask if they had sight of any vessels on their cameras and they reported a group of small vessels that looked to be fishing south of the ferry terminal.

The overdue vessel was quickly identified (one with no lights) and they informed us that their trailer had broken so they had been in no rush to get home. After a quick chat with them and explanation about using their mobile phone to call their distraught family, who were at home by the phone waiting for news, they decided to go home and face the music.

Due to the fact they had no navigation lights the ILB escorted them back to the slipway and then both boats returned to station

Poole Harbour and Bay were shrouded in thick fog so both lifeboats navigated their way through the harbour into Studland Bay. The fast response inshore lifeboat (ILB) arrived on scene first and found that the yacht that had raised the alarm had found the man and pulled him out of the water.

The man had been rowing back to his yacht in his tender and was tying the tender on when he fell overboard into the water. Luckily for him the other yacht was in the vicinity and heard his cries. He had no lifejacket on and had been in the water for 40 minutes or so in thick fog.

Once the ALB had determined that the fire was out the Coastguard was able to downgrade the Mayday on the radio (during a Mayday all communications on Channel 16 cease). The ALB then towed the vessel back to the Haven steps, with the ILB informing Poole Harbour Control that the vessel was being brought inside the confines of the harbour.

The firefighters were then able to confirm that the engine had overheated and once it was confirmed that the vessel was safe the ALB towed the vessel to Baiter Park slipway while the ILB took the two people ashore at Baiter.

Once the vessel was safely ashore on its trailer both lifeboats returned to station at 1430.

The lifeboat was then retasked to find the yacht that the lady had fallen from so that they could reassure the husband that his wife was in safe hands and being taken to hospital. The ILB then towed the yacht to Poole Yacht Club so the gentleman could make his way to the hospital to be with his wife.

The lifeboat then returned to station at 1445. The two first aiders were picked up by another crew member and returned to the station by road.

At the same time the ILB launched to a vessel aground on Soldier Bank. The vessel, with two people onboard, was towed off and then escorted to Poole Yacht Club. The ILB returned to station at 1710 and the ALB at 1755.

The ALB, with several crew onboard in case the disabled people needed to be lifted off the vessel, made its way gingerly (due to the low tide) to Pottery Pier off Brownsea Island before being stood down by the ILB. Both lifeboats returned to station at 1615.

1220 Both lifeboats responded to a report of a submerged object or person in the vicinity of Russell Quay. The lifeboat searched from Russell Quay to Giggers Island, nothing was found so the lifeboats returned to station at 1330.

Four lifeboat crew were taken on the ILB (instead of the usual three) for additional manpower to lift the casualty if necessary. The pontoons opposite the lifeboat station were checked but nothing was found so the crew guessed that the person was opposite the Lifeboat College and not the station.

On arrival on scene three lifeboat crew went onto the pontoon - one to fetch and carry any equipment required and two to check out the condition of the gentleman. The man said that he thought he had broken his leg and was also in a lot of pain when he moved his leg. The crew gave him some oxygen and then immobilised the leg. One of the crew members had to cut his trouser leg, then he placed a survivor's lifejacket between his legs to provide padding and then secured the legs together using fracture straps.

At the same time, another B class lifeboat was passing from the training college and the helmsman from this brought across two paramedics who had arrived at Sunseeker Marina. The paramedics then removed the fracture straps and placed the leg in a vacuum splint (these are only carried on the all-weather lifeboat).

The ILB crew then lifted the man into a basket stretcher and transferred him and the paramedics to the Marina to the waiting ambulance.

The ILB crew returned to station at 1942.

As both lifeboats returned to station, and before the crew were able to tie the boats up alongside, Portland Coastguard tasked them to another incident. A 7m yacht was aground in Studland Bay, close to the nudist beach! The ILB arrived on scene to find that the bilge-keel yacht was aground close to the shore and, as it was high water, the vessel was unable to get off under its own power. One ILB crew member attached a tow line to the vessel while the ALB stood by in deeper water in case a stronger tow line was required. After a short while the ILB managed to ‘bounce’ the yacht into deeper water, the ILB crew member checked that there was no damage before leaving the vessel and its two occupants to carry on their merry way. Both lifeboats then returned to station at 1800.

1940 The ALB launched to a vessel broken down and at anchor off Branksome Chine. On arrival on scene one crew member went onboard, the anchor was raised and a tow was attached. The vessel, with two people onboard (slightly cold and hungry!), was towed to a mooring at North Haven Yacht Club and the lifeboat returned to station at 2130.

1630 Both lifeboats were launched to help recover a man who had fallen on the rocks near the Haven Hotel. On arrival, an ambulance paramedic and technician were already on scene and had placed a vacuum splint on his broken right leg. The ALB passed their basket stretcher to the ILB to pass ashore and several crew members went ashore to help lift the man in the stretcher. They were unable to carry the stretcher along the shoreline due to the angle of the shoreline so the crew helped lift him onboard the ALB, which then took him ashore at the Haven steps.

On the way back from this shout the lifeboats came across 9m bilge keel yacht aground with two people onboard. The ALB stood by while the ILB managed to refloat the vessel. They continued with their sail and both lifeboats returned to station at 1735.

1200 In south westerly winds gusting to force 6, a 10m yacht was dismasted close to number 23 buoy. The four persons onboard sent out a Pan Pan radio message as they were unable to continue their day sail with part of their rigging, mast and sails under the boat. The all-weather lifeboat arrived on scene to find that the yacht was anchored and also tied off to one of the mooring buoys. One of the lifeboat crew members entered the water with a line to tie to the mast so that the lifeboat crew could lift the mast, rigging and sails out of the water and once they were safely stowed on the deck of the yacht the lifeboat crew established a tow and towed the vessel to Cobbs Quay. The lifeboat returned to station at 1345.

1146 Both lifeboats launched for an exercise in Poole Bay and made their way towards Bournemouth Pier where over 600 other vessels had either anchored or were slowly motoring between the two piers making an impressive sight, especially against the backdrop of RFA Mounts Bay. Over the next 2½ hours, during a spectacular air display over Bournemouth, the radio channels were extremely busy with communications from the many hundreds of vessels. Usually the lifeboats respond to emergencies on channel 0 but because of the number of incidents happening in both the Solent and Portland Coastguard areas, the ILB and ALB responded on channels 0, 14, 73 and 31.

Firstly the ILB helped assist a vessel out of the air show’s exclusion zone and then a more urgent request was made for both lifeboats to assist Mudeford lifeboat with a vessel with six people onboard that was taking on water and sinking west of Bournemouth Pier. The vessel had made its way to the beach where Mudeford lifeboat was able to use their portable pump to pump some of the water out but, as the vessel was taking on too much water, Portland Coastguard made the decision not to use one of the lifeboats to tow the vessel to Poole as it would have sunk en route and caused a problem to other vessels. Fortunately the people were safe ashore and no life was at risk. The ILB was then asked to check out a report of an unwell crew member onboard another vessel near the pier – no assistance was needed as the person had been taken ashore from another vessel.

Both lifeboats then made their way towards Poole Harbour when, at 1415, they were tasked to a broken down Bayliner (see call out details for 30 August at 1415).

25 August 1405 The ALB launched to a 12m motor cruiser with one engine broken down, 1½ miles south west of Hengistbury Head. As the all-weather lifeboat proceeded to the scene, its second engine failed and so was without power. On arrival, one of the lifeboat crew went onboard to assist the four people on the vessel to secure a tow rope and the lifeboat then towed it back to Town Quay, arriving at 1603.

While towing this vessel in, Swanage lifeboat contacted Portland Coastguard to ask if Poole’s Tyne class lifeboat could go back out to meet them in the Swash Channel just outside the harbour’s entrance. They had launched to tow in the yacht Résumé that had dismasted 11 miles south of Anvil Point. Poole lifeboat crew took over the tow and took the yacht and its crew to Poole Yacht Club. This was the second time this year that Poole lifeboat had towed Résumé in with a broken mast. Let’s hope it’s not third time unlucky for them.

1600 The inshore lifeboat launched to a dismasted yacht off the ferry terminal. The harbour board had it under tow and passed this to the lifeboat. Two of the lifeboat crew members went onboard to assist two gentlemen on the yacht sort the rigging and the tow out while the three children and two women were taken onboard the ILB. The yacht was then towed to Redcliffe Yacht Club and the lifeboat returned to station at 1825.

1435 The ILB launched to a Cornish shrimper that had gone aground south of Round Island. The lifeboat crew were unable to tow the vessel off the mud as they were well and truly aground but they were able to take the two elderly gentlemen off and pass them over to another vessel close that was part of North Haven yacht Club where the gentlemen were members. They then retrieved their vessel at high water. The lifeboat crew returned to station at 1515.

2150 Both lifeboats launched to a report of missing persons off Branksome Dene Chine. They searched from the harbour’s entrance to east of Bournemouth Pier close inshore and offshore but no one was found to be in trouble. Both lifeboats returned to station at 2310.

1546 Details to follow

2334 The ILB launched to a broken down motor vessel off Shore Road. Once on scene the ILB attached a tow rope and towed the vessel and the three persons and one dog back to Parkstone marina. The lifeboat then returned to station in the wee small hours of the morning at 0100.

The gentleman was taken to Baiter by Poole Coastguard to meet the lifeboat crew and assisted them in pulling the boat out of the water. The Coastguard then took the man to Rockley Park to retrieve his trailer so he could remove it from Baiter Park. The ILB crew returned to station at 1840.

While out on an inspector’s exercise, the ILB came across a yacht that had gone aground. The four persons onboard had their sails still up and in the south westerly force 4 breeze they were being blown further aground just outside the North Channel in Poole harbour. Unable to free them off the mud, the ILB crew took the anchor from the yacht and attached it to one of the mooring buoys to prevent the vessel from being blown further inshore. The yacht crew then took down their jib, which reduced the sail area and they then managed to pull on the anchor and, with a rising tide, they were able to pull themselves off and continue their evening’s sail. The ILB then continued with their exercise.

0100 The crew were disturbed from their deep sleep and their cosy duvets as the pagers sounded for both lifeboats to launch to a report of red flares off Bournemouth Pier. By the time the lifeboats arrived on scene the crews had just about woken up before they started to search the area. Both lifeboats and a Coastguard helicopter searched an area from west of Bournemouth Pier to east of Boscombe Pier (and Hengistbury Head for the helicopter). White parachute illuminating flares were fired (not at the helicopter) to illuminate the area but nothing was found. After ensuring that the area had been covered the Coastguard released the crews to return to station. Thankfully the deputy launching authority (Liam) had gone into a local garage to supply the hungry crew with Viennese whirls and cherry bakewells at 5am – shame there was nowhere open for the bacon butties!

1438 Both lifeboats launched to a speedboat aground in Wareham Channel with a report that one person had been in the water and was cold and wet. The ILB arrived on scene and after assessing the casualty it was decided that the ALB was not required so it returned to station. One of the ILB crew (Pete Smith) crawled across to the vessel that was stuck on the mud and managed to secure a tow line onboard. The lifeboat then towed the speedboat to Redcliffe Yacht Club.

On their return from this call out they were tasked to assist a Maxi 23 that had broken down off the ferry terminal. The people onboard had bought the boat the previous day and it was their first trip out. The lifeboat towed it to Rockley Park before returning to station at 1645.

1648 The inshore lifeboat crew was paged for a swimmer in the water off Whitley Lake. He was seen swimming towards Brownsea Island and was then lost sight of by police on the shore. By the time the lifeboat crew assembled at the lifeboat station Portland Coastguard then telephoned to say that the man had been detained by police. The lifeboat crew were stood down so the lifeboat did not need to launch.

31 July

1208 The ILB launched to a 7m powerboat that was sinking off Branksome Chine with five people onboard (and one lifejacket between them).

When the ILB arrived on scene, four people had managed to swim ashore and the fifth person was onboard trying to get rid of the water. The boat had by then been washed ashore, two lifeboat crew went onboard with a small salvage pump and started pumping out the water.

The five people were taken onboard the lifeboat and wrapped in survivors’ bags to try to keep them warm and dry and one crew member was left onboard pumping the water out as the lifeboat towed the boat to Parkstone Bay Marina where the boat was lifted out. The lifeboat returned to station and was ready for the next service at 1415.

The crew took the two young girls onboard and then towed the boat back to Poole Quay. The inshore lifeboat then took over the tow and continued past the lifting bridge to Cobbs Quay. The lifeboats then refuelled and were ready for service again at 1815.

2340 Late in the evening, the ILB launched to a report of two people in a kayak in Arne Bay. The lifeboat crew spotted them when the two people flashed the lights on their mobile phones. They had apparently decided not to go camping when one of them realised that they didn’t have a tent (!) and got lost on their return to shore. Both were taken onboard the ILB with the kayak on the back of the lifeboat and they were taken to Lake Pier. The crew got back to their beds 0100.

1553 The ILB launched to a broken down jetski in the Swash Channel, and the two people, who weren’t wearing buoyancy aids, were given strong safety advice and then taken back, with their jetski in tow, to Hamworthy Park. The lifeboat crew returned to station at 1645.

0127 Both lifeboat crews were interrupted from their forty winks again in the early hours of the morning. A call had come from a man in Reading that his two brothers were in Bournemouth and one of them had gone into the water on a surfboard and hadn’t been seen for a while. Both lifeboats searched from the chain ferry as far across as Boscombe Pier. After 2 hours the boats returned to station after an unsuccessful search. Allegedly, two lads were arrested the next day for a malicious call and wasting the time of the emergency services.

0045 With seven crew onboard, the all-weather lifeboat launched to a broken down 7m fishing boat reported to be 3 miles east of Bar Buoy. Initially the three people onboard the fishing boat were able to see the lifeboat’s searchlights and so flashed a torchlight in its direction. The lifeboat crew eventually spotted them 1½ miles off the Bar Buoy, placed a tow onboard and towed them to Sandbanks Boatyard and Marina. The lifeboat and crew returned to station and were ready for their next service at 0245. The crew returned to their beds for some well-earned beauty sleep (they need lots!).

1026 The ILB launched to a broken down fishing boat in the Swash Channel with two people onboard. It was towed to a mooring off the Royal Motor Yacht Club and the two men were taken ashore. The lifeboat returned to station at 1123.

1320 At the same time as the all-weather lifeboat arrived on scene to a yacht with a damaged rudder in Christchurch Bay, the pagers sounded for the inshore lifeboat to launch to a drifting dinghy that was being thrown against the rocks at Parkstone Yacht Club.

Once on scene, the lifeboat crew could see that the engine was down, there were oars onboard and there were pieces of cut rope that suggested that someone might have been trying to cut the rope free from the propeller and had possibly gone overboard and was still in the water. A search was started but it wasn’t long before the crew saw two people onboard a yacht on a mooring close to Stakes cardinal buoy. They reported that their tender had come adrift from their yacht, although they had failed to report this to the Portland Coastguard. The inshore lifeboat crew, with the dinghy in tow, then took the two people ashore to Poole Quay Boat Haven before returning to station at 1425 (just as Lymington lifeboat was taking over the tow from Poole lifeboat (see rescue 8 July 1230).

This was the 70th lifeboat launch of the year for Poole lifeboats.

1230 In blustery conditions, with south west winds gusting up to force 7, the all-weather lifeboat launched to a 7m sloop, with three people onboard, whose rudder had broken in the squally conditions and had lost all steerage. As the ALB headed out of the harbour the lifeboat had to manoeuvre between the Condor ferry, which was heading into the harbour, and the Barfleur ferry, heading out of the harbour to Cherbourg.

Fortunately the skipper onboard the yacht was able to radio their position so the lifeboat crew knew it was 15 miles to the east of the station in Christchurch Bay. It took the lifeboat just over an hour to reach the casualty, which had anchored in the 1m swell to avoid being blown ashore. Read more.

0035 The pagers woke the lifeboat crew from their slumbers and the ILB launched to a speedboat with six teenagers onboard. They had broken down but, in a fast flowing ebbing Spring tide, had managed to grab onto the North Haven cardinal buoy. The ILB towed the speedboat back to Salterns Marina where the lifeboat crew passed on some safety advice to the teenagers about them not having any lights or safety gear onboard. The ILB then returned to station at 0125.

0035 The pagers woke the lifeboat crew from their slumbers and the ILB launched to a speedboat with six teenagers onboard. They had broken down but, in a fast flowing ebbing Spring tide, had managed to grab onto the North Haven cardinal buoy. The ILB towed the speedboat back to Salterns Marina where the lifeboat crew passed on some safety advice to the teenagers about them not having any lights or safety gear onboard. The ILB then returned to station at 0125.

1814 The inshore lifeboat launched early in the evening after a woman phoned the Coastguard on her mobile phone to report that her partner was in the water and she was drifting away from him in a small 4m RIB and she could not restart the engine to get back to the him. The ILB arrived quickly on scene, finding the dinghy in the Upper Wych channel near Long Island. The woman in the boat was upset and distressed but the lifeboat crew soon located her partner clinging to a post about three-quarters of a mile away from the drifting dinghy.

When the lifeboat crew got the man out of the water he was very cold as he had been hanging onto the post in wet clothes for sometime in a fresh biting wind, added to which he had the worry of helplessly watching the dinghy drift off! Once onboard, the inshore lifeboat the crew wrapped him up and took the reunited couple and their dinghy back to the lifeboat station to warm up where plenty of hot tea was administered.

1110 During their exercise the ALB was tasked by the Coastguard to two people in the water near Whitecliff and the ILB was also paged. As the ILB crew were assembling at the lifeboat station, a call came through that the ILB launch had been cancelled and the ALB was able to return to its exercise as the children had been picked up by Parkstone Yacht Club’s rescue boat.

0930 While out on exercise the all-weather lifeboat crew spotted a canoeist in the water by the groynes close to the Haven Hotel at the entrance to the harbour. He was unable to right his canoe so the crew pulled him onboard, grabbed the canoe with a boat hook and took him ashore at Sandbanks beach. An RNLI lifeguard on the beach then helped the man while the ALB crew returned to their exercise.

1302 The inshore lifeboat launched to a report of a person jumping off Bournemouth Pier. Within 10 minutes, when they had reached Diver buoy, they were stood down as the incident had resolved itself and the crew returned to station.

1830 In a slight westerly breeze, a Wayfarer dinghy, with four people onboard, had been sailing in the harbour. As the wind dropped the fast flowing ebbing tide had caused the dinghy to hit the end of the chain ferry and the boat capsized and threw the people into the water. As they were in the Swash Channel just outside the harbour’s entrance, with the tide ebbing rapidly and the Barfleur ferry due out, it was important that the people were picked up quickly. Fortunately a passing yacht was able to pick up two of the people and the ILB was on scene within 5 minutes and retrieved the other two. The ILB crew then managed to tow the inverted and dismasted dinghy out of the channel before Crew Members Simon Mumford and Jack Belcher entered the water to help right the boat. The two people onboard the yacht were then transferred to the ILB and the four casualties were taken, with their dinghy, to Parkstone Yacht Club. One of the men had a laceration above the right knee and this was cleaned and dressed while onboard the lifeboat. Once safely ashore no further medical treatment was required.

Just as the lifeboat was preparing to leave the yacht club another dinghy with one person onboard sailed back to the slipway, hitting the ILB as it came ashore. The woman onboard was suffering from severe abdominal pain and so an ambulance was called and treated at the scene.

The lifeboat crew returned to station and were ready for service again at 2045.

1310 On a sunny but very windy afternoon, with winds gusting up to force 7, the pagers called the lifeboat crew from their decorating, cleaning and gardening tasks to the start of a busy afternoon that saw the inshore lifeboat carry out five shouts and the all-weather lifeboat one shout. The ILB launched to the first call out at 1310 to two people in the water who had been thrown from their dinghy as it capsized. They were picked up by the Harbour Master’s launch and taken to Dolphin Haven while the ILB retrieved their dinghy, which was caught up in the moorings between Baiter and Parkstone Yacht Club. After untangling it the lifeboat towed it to Baiter slipway to be reunited with its owner.

For more about the other rescues read here.

1340 After following the Fishermen’s Regatta around the harbour during the annual Harry Paye charity fun day, the inshore lifeboat came across a Topper Xenon dinghy that had capsized and thrown the two occupants in the water. They struggled to get the boat upright so one of the lifeboat crew members (Neil Ceconi) went into the water to help them right the vessel. Once sorted, the two people continued their sail back to Sandbanks beach and the ILB returned to Poole Quay to continue enjoying the fun day.

(To find out more about Harry Paye see www.harrypaye.com.)

1054 Both lifeboats launched to a Mayday from a 7m motor boat with two people onboard that had reported a fire onboard after an engine explosion. The ILB arrived on scene near the Training Bank and took the two people onto the ILB. They then waited until the all-weather lifeboat arrived, which towed the boat clear of the bank. The ALB crew attached a stern tow, taking her to the Haven steps where a waiting fire crew checked the boat over. The ILB crew then took the two people back to Cobbs Quay where they awaited the arrival of their boat. Once the boat had been declared safe by the fire crew the ALB towed the boat towards Poole Quay where SeaStart then took over the tow and completed the tow to Cobbs Quay. Both boats were back at station by 1230.

1345 Paraskevidekatriaphobia is a fear of Friday the 13th and this day proved unlucky for one particular catamaran when it hit a submerged object and was holed in two places. The pagers went off for both lifeboats to launch to the sinking vessel just off Hamworthy in the early afternoon.

The inshore lifeboat crew started pumping out the water with their pump but required the larger salvage pump as well, which is carried onboard the all-weather lifeboat. Once this was placed onboard the catamaran, both lifeboats carried out an alongside tow as far as Lake Pier while continuing to pump out the water. The ILB continued with the tow to Ridge Wharf as the ALB was unable to continue due to the depth of water.

On arrival at Ridge Wharf the vessel was then lifted out to inspect for damage and the ILB returned to station at 1550.

1529 The ILB launched to a broken down cabin cruiser with two people onboard 1 mile south east of Bournemouth Pier. The crew towed the boat back to Cobbs Quay and returned to station at 1740.

2215 Both the all-weather lifeboat and inshore lifeboat launched to a person overboard from a yacht close to the fuel barge in Poole Harbour. On arrival, the ILB crew found that a woman had been recovered from the water and was in the yacht’s tender. The ILB brought the woman back to the boathouse where she was met by an ambulance crew. The other yacht crew members were brought back to the boathouse by the ALB.

0930 The ILB launched to a report of a person in the water off Bournemouth Pier. As they reached Diver Buoy in Poole Harbour the call out was cancelled and so they returned to station 10 minutes later.

1525 The ILB launched to a report of a drifting dinghy, which had no ropes trailing and had the paddles onboard set in the rowing position. The lifeboat crew found the dinghy and started to search the area. During the search they located a yacht that had its hatches open and keys in the ignition but no person onboard so the crew suspected a person had fallen in the water. Rescue helicopter 106 from Portland also searched the area. After further investigation it was discovered that the dinghy had been stolen and that nobody had been onboard the yacht so the lifeboat crew returned to station at 1715.

1920 The ILB launched to a person in the water off Branksome Chine. On arrival the person was out of the water and so the lifeboat’s assistance was not required. The ILB returned to Poole Quay and closed down radio communications. Portland Coastguard then called the station boathouse to inform them that a woman had gone in the water after a dog and needed assistance. Before the ILB had time to rehouse it launched again towards Whitecliff. The dog had swum away from the shore and the woman was unable to retrieve it so had returned to shore. As the ILB arrived on scene one of the crew members whistled to the dog, which obediently swam towards the lifeboat so the crew were able to return it to its owner on the shore. The crew returned to station at 2050.

1100 The ALB launched to a yacht with engine failure off Poole Bar. The yacht crew – some were suffering from seasickness – had been sailing into Poole when they tried to start the engine. When the ALB arrived they passed a tow rope to the crew onboard and towed the yacht back to Town Quay. The lifeboat and crew arrived back at station at 1230.

1230 Both Poole lifeboats launched to a 12m yacht that had put out a Mayday on channel 16 for a man overboard. The yacht was 1 mile east off the entrance to Poole harbour with a number of people onboard. They were on their way back to their berth at Dolphin Haven when the man went overboard. Read more of the story here.

1830 The inshore lifeboat had launched on an inspector’s training exercise and was waiting to carry out a joint exercise with the all-weather lifeboat when they spotted a 6.7m yacht aground near number 28 buoy. An ILB crew member was placed onboard to help the three people on the yacht secure a tow, All four then stood on one side of the yacht to heel it over while the ILB towed the yacht off. After checking that everything was okay the yacht motored off into the sunset and the ILB returned to its exercise.

0755 The all-weather lifeboat launched to a 10m yacht with engine failure about 1 mile off the harbour’s entrance, which was unable to sail in due to problems with their sails. The ALB crew threw a rope to the yacht where the crew onboard secured a tow. The lifeboat towed the yacht astern up to Stakes buoy where they then brought the yacht alongside and towed it into Poole Quay Boat Haven.

0115 In the early hours of the morning the all-weather lifeboat crew was paged to a 12.5m yacht in difficulty 6 miles south east of the harbour’s entrance. On arrival at 0200 the lifeboat crew found four people onboard the vessel, which had run out of fuel. The owner had bought the boat that day and was sailing from Poole to Gosport and had assumed that it had a full fuel tank.

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.

1935 With two incidents going on at the same time, the pagers went off for both Poole lifeboats to launch on Sunday evening to an overdue jetski and a motor cruiser (with four people onboard) broken down in the Wareham Channel. As they launched, the Coastguard radioed that the jetski had turned up safely and this incident had been resolved.

The lifeboats continued up the Wareham Channel to the motor cruiser – it soon became apparent that it was the same vessel and crew that had kindly called the Coastguard when two people became stuck in the mud in the Channel earlier in the week (see 14 April). On this occasion their engine had overheated.

The ALB was not required so it returned to station while the ILB towed the boat and crew to Ridge Wharf before returning to station. Once again the new trainees got a flavour of how it feels to be part of a busy lifeboat station as the pagers went off just as some of them were sitting down to their Sunday evening roast dinner!

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.

1230 On a miserable Saturday lunchtime, the all-weather lifeboat launched to a 10m yacht that had a rope caught around its propeller after sailing over a pot marker buoy just off Shore Road. Fortunately the yacht’s engine was not running at the time so the rope was only caught underneath the prop rather than being wound around it.

Two fishing vessels were already on scene trying to help when the ALB arrived. The ALB crew, using a boat hook, were able to hook the pot buoy free of the propeller, which then allowed the yacht to continue sailing back to Poole Yacht Club. The ALB returned to station at 1330.

This was the first ‘shout’ for the B class Atlantic 75 lifeboat, B-710 Friendly Forester II, after her return from her 3-yearly refit.

1040 A local fishing vessel with two people onboard sent out a Mayday when it started taking on water and sinking just off Branksome Chine. Both lifeboats launched, with the inshore lifeboat arriving first. The Coastguard helicopter, India Juliet, was also scrambled. The ILB crew started to pump out the water with their portable salvage pump until the ALB arrived with their heavy duty salvage pump.

The ILB crew then helped to set up a tow from the ALB to the fishing vessel while the crew continued to pump out the water. The ALB towed the fishing vessel to Fisherman’s Dock and the ILB stood by in case of sinking.

Once alongside at the Dock the boat and survivors were left in the capable hands of Poole coastguard.

Both boats returned to station at 1215.

1327 On a gorgeous but cold February day, the inshore lifeboat (ILB) launched to a broken down 10m motor cruiser, with eight people onboard, in the Wareham Channel. The initial report stated that it was an open speedboat and so the all-weather lifeboat (ALB) launched a few minutes later in case the people, including five children, were cold.

The ILB arrived to find that all were safe and well onboard and were able to keep warm in the cabin. One crew member was placed onboard the vessel and a tow was connected; the vessel was then towed to Cobbs Quay.

The lifeboats returned to station at 1430 (ALB) and 1545 (ILB).

0955 As the all-weather lifeboat was launching for its Sunday morning exercise, a report came over the radio that a dinghy had been found washed up on the beach in Swanage bay. Knowing that the lifeboat was already afloat Portland Coastguard tasked the crew to search for the motor cruiser that the dinghy had come adrift from overnight. Read more of the story here

1803 Soon after the tide was at its lowest on a Spring tide, the pagers went off for the ILB to launch to a motor cruiser, with six persons onboard, that had hit a submerged object and was sinking.

Fortunately the lifeboat only took 3 minutes to arrive on scene just opposite the RNLI lifeboat college. As the temperature was dropping the ILB brought four people back to the boathouse to warm up, including two children, and at the same time picked up the all-weather lifeboat salvage pump.

Using this, the lifeboat crew were able to pump out enough water to allow them to tow the boat to the RNLI slipway. Here they used a hoist to lift the boat out of the water to inspect the hull, where they found a 10cm diameter hole.

Back at the boathouse the rescued people enjoyed some chocolate muffins and a hot drink, courtesy of Rod, our DLA, before going up to the college to meet their other crew members. They left the boat there overnight while deciding on the repairs needed.

The ILB returned to station at 2010.

1340 During force 5–7 winds, a motor cruiser lost engine power and was driven onto the rocks close to the ferry terminal in Poole Harbour. Both boats were launched to assist and in a later incident the ILB was diverted to a call where two people were stranded on their yacht after their dinghy had broken free. Read more about both shouts here.

0003 The inshore lifeboat (ILB) launched in the early minutes of Wednesday to a teenage girl who had fallen and had a suspected broken leg. She had been fishing with her father and friends on the groynes near the Haven Hotel just outside the entrance to the harbour.

Before launching, the ILB crew took the stretcher with them from the all-weather lifeboat so they would be able to transfer the girl from the rocks. Once on scene the ILB crew joined four ambulance crew and four coastguards who had already placed the girl on a spine board. All the crew and coastguards helped transfer the girl into the stretcher and into the ILB, where she was then taken to the steps near the slipway at the harbour entrance to be transferred to a waiting ambulance. The crew returned to station just before 0100.

On one of the worst nights of the year so far, with north westerly winds gusting up to 40 knots lashing the harbour, a squall came through and the fisherman saw the lights of the bait dragger in the distance suddenly disappear. They looked for the vessel but nothing was found so fearing the worst he raised the alarm.

The ILB was soon on scene and working alongside the Police helicopter, which was using its infrared equipment, they both scoured the Bay. Coastguards searched the shoreline and checked the fishermen’s vehicles parked in the local lanes and surrounding roads to ascertain who could be missing.

After an extensive search where nothing untoward was found and all fishermen were accounted for, Portland Coastguard took the decision to stand the lifeboat down.
The ILB returned to station around 0200 on Tuesday morning.