Mon 31st March 2003

The Inshore Lifeboat was self launched at 1618 by Paul Singleton, the Senior ILB Helmsman, after he heard on VHF radio that 2 people were in the water following a boat accident in the vicinity of Hutchins Buoy. The ILB was quickly on scene and found that a high speed bat-wing racing boat had crashed into the wake of another vessel. There was some considerable impact damage to the racing boat. The crew found 1 person, a women, on the hull of the bat-wing boat with serious head injuries and in shock. They immediately took her onboard the ILB, administered first aid, stabilised her, treated her head injuries and then took her ashore to Lake Yard. The Coastguard had arranged for an ambulance to meet the ILB. The other person from the bat-wing boat, a man, had been thrown into the water on impact. He was picked up by a passing ocean-going rowing boat crewed by marines and they took him ashore immediately as he was in a very bad way. The ILB crew assisted the marines, once shore, with the male survivor and helped him onto a stretcher and carried him to the ambulance. The ILB then recovered what was left of the bat-wing racing boat, made it safe and towed it back to Lake Yard.

ILB Crew
Paul Singleton -Senior Helmsman, Holly Phillips, Mark Griffin.