Shouts

Date

Brief Description

Further Details

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.