Boat launched: Atlantic 85
Date: Saturday 24th March
Launched : 23:57
Returned to station: 00:43 (Sunday 25th)
Weather: Calm NE F2
A 17 foot dory left Eastney Cruising Association at the entrance to Langstone Harbour around 10:00 with the skipper and his lady crew. They crossed Hayling Bay and entered Chichester Harbour. They spent the rest of the day exploring the harbour. As night approached and the tide fell, they ran aground on a number of sand banks and to get off the skipper had to enter the water making his lower body cold and wet. His GPS had stopped working so having found a number of anchored boats at East Head he decided to join them. They did not have adequate warm clothing and as the air temperature dropped the lady started to show signs of hypothermia. A neighbouring motor boat took her on board but the man refused, staying on board his anchored dory.
The motor boat contacted the coastguard who paged the lifeboat and the Atlantic 85 was launched just before midnight. Once at East Head the lifeboat crew wrapped the skipper and the lady in blankets and then escorted the dory into Sparks marina. The lifeboat returned to the station and was made ready for further service.
The two crew from the dory were brought back to the station, given a restorative cup of tea, and returned to their car at Eastney Cruising Association by the kind generosity of one of the lifeboat crew.
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