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Blustery weather and a large number of race entrants on Saturday 28 June, made for a busy day for the two Calshot RNLI lifeboats during the annual Round the Island race.
The Calshot lifeboats were manned from 05:30 in readiness for the race and between them the All Weather Lifeboat ‘Sarah Emily Harrop ' and the Inshore Lifeboat '248 Squadron RAF' attended 15 incidents during the day, most of which were associated with the race.
Amongst a large number of capsizes and a sinking, assistance was also given to a demasted 40' yatch which was escorted into Cowes. Dr Joe Peoples, the station RNLI doctor, who was on board the All Weather Lifeboat, gave initial treatment to a casualty who had suffered a head injury on a yatch between Cowes and Newton Creek; the lifeboat landed the casualty at Cowes where they were transferred to a waiting ambulance.
On a falling afternoon tide, a number of boats returning to Cowes went aground on the Brambles Bank and required assistance to be refloated. The lifeboats finally stood down at 6pm after one of the busiest 12 hour periods for Calshot RNLI station on memory.
Lifeboat coxswain on the day, Mark Laughlin, commented that the brisk southwesterly wind which gusted up to 30 knots at times, a choppy sea and the large number of race entrants had made it a challenging but very satisfying day for the station's volunteer crew.
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