A man and a woman were taken ashore for a medical check-up by Cowes RNLI lifeboat this evening, after being plucked from the sea when their vintage 20 foot yacht suddenly sank in the Solent, off Castle Point, East Cowes.
The Duma was on its way from Wootton to the annual Old Gaffers Festival at Yarmouth. It was seen to suddenly broach and take on water. Desperate attempts to correct the problem failed, and the yacht quickly capsized.
The couple, both wearing lifejackets, were however only in the water for a few minutes before being picked up by the large yacht, Kinsale. When the lifeboat, helmed by Scott Armiger, arrived on the scene the first priority was to see to their welfare.
Although both seemed none the worse for their ducking Scott arranged for an ambulance to attend to them as a precaution when the lifeboat arrived with them at Trinity Landing, Cowes. The lifeboat then returned to the yacht, submerged but for the bow and mast. They managed to get a rope on board and eventually beach it close to the shore, using the yacht’s own anchor.
A lifeboat crewman waded through the shallow water to the Duma in the hope of recovering some of the couple’s personal possessions including their passports (both were from abroad). But the search proved unsuccessful.
The lifeboat which had been alerted to the sinking at 6.20 pm, returned to base at Shepards Marina two hours later. It was the 14th ‘shout’ attended by lifeboat this year.
