Selsey Lifeboat Station - Launches

16th April 2022

Selsey RNLI Lifeboat Launched to Assist Vessel with Steering Failure

Motorboat Patricia Motorboat Patricia
Motorboat Patricia Motorboat Patricia

At 7.43 p.m. on Saturday 16th April the UK Coastguard requested the launch of the all-weather Lifeboat (ALB) to assist a 50-foot motorboat which had earlier been aground just to the west of Selsey Bill, and the Coastguard had lost contact with the vessel.

The ALB launched at 7.58 p.m. and arrived on scene with the vessel within 7 minutes of launching as the vessel was now 0.8 nautical miles northeast of the Lifeboat station. Once on scene it was established that the craft was experiencing intermittent engine problems, the two persons on board had been in the engine space trying to fix the fault when they ran aground earlier. They indicated that the problem was probably fuel contamination as it was the first trip to sea after being moored during lockdown.

The weather on scene was wind easterly force 1-2, sea state calm in sunshine. The vessel had departed from Port Solent earlier in the day heading to Eastbourne. With the tide flooding the Coxswain decided to tow the vessel to Littlehampton Harbour. A Lifeboat crewmember was transferred to the vessel to assist with rigging the tow. At 8.16 p.m. a tow was established, and a course set for Littlehampton. The tow was going well with five miles covered when, at 9.08 p.m., the Coastguards relayed a message saying that Littlehampton Harbour could not accommodate the vessel. The Coxswain made the decision to turn around and take the casualty vessel to Sparkes Marina in Chichester Harbour.

The passage to Sparkes was longer and against the tide and the entrance to Chichester Harbour was reached just after midnight. The Coastguards had arranged for Hayling Island RNLI to launch and assist berthing the vessel alongside in Sparkes Marina. The Motorboat was safely berthed alongside at Sparkes Marina at 12.26 a.m. and at 12.41 a.m. the UK Coastguards released the Lifeboats to return to station. Selsey Lifeboat returned to Selsey at 2.04 a.m. and was recovered straight away.

CREW: Colin Pullenger (Coxswain/Mechanic), Will Moir, Craig Sergeant, Harry Emmence, Neil Hopcraft, and Ian Ford.