Selsey Lifeboat Station - Launches
21st August 2022
Selsey Inshore Lifeboat Assists Angling Boat Ashore West of Selsey Bill
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The RNLI inshore Lifeboat (ILB) launched at 7.10 a.m. on Sunday 21st August and headed to a position just west of the entrance to the Medmerry nature reserve
The UK Coastguard requested the launch of the ILB after receiving a call from a small angling boat with two persons on board saying that they were ashore and struggling in the swell to get back off. The weather on scene was wind westerly 2-3, sea state smooth off shore in overcast sky.
The Selsey Coastguard Rescue Team (CRT) had arrived on scene to find the two persons waist deep trying to hold the boat against the swell. They immediately requested the ILB to help get the boat out of the surf into open water. The ILB arrived on scene at 7.20 a.m. and one crew member was dropped ashore to assist and get details from the man holding on to the craft.
The men had been fishing off Hayling Island on Saturday evening and were on their way back to Littlehampton when the wind freshened so they beached the vessel and kedged two anchors out before leaving the craft to spend the night on the beach waiting for calmer conditions in the morning. Overnight one anchor line parted and the other then dragged as the then tide rose. The men made efforts to get the boat into deeper water but were defeated but the swell and breaking seas, so they called for assistance.
The Lifeboat crew member ashore recovered the anchor and tidied up the ropes on the bow before attaching the tow passed from the ILB. The two men got back aboard the vessel while the boat was held by the Lifeboat crew member and a member of the Selsey CRT and, once the ILB had taken the strain on the tow, the Lifeboat crew member climbed into the angling boat. Once the vessel was in calmer waters the engine was tried with success, so the tow was dropped and the ILB escorted the vessel to the Lifeboat station.
At 8.15 a.m. the vessel arrived just off the station and, after the Lifeboat crew member aboard the angling boat had given the skipper a course to Littlehampton Harbour, he was recovered by the ILB. The casualty vessel departed for Littlehampton and the ILB returned to station and was recovered straight away.
CREW: James Albrey (Helmsman), Harry Emmence, and Tim Scott