RNLI Lifeboat Rescues Drifting Yacht Near Langstone Harbour
Yacht Breaks Mooring, Drifts in Rough Waters
At 5.30pm on Friday, the RNLB Alfred Albert Williams (Tamar All-Weather Lifeboat 16-17) was launched following a request from the UK Solent Coastguard. The mission: assist Portsmouth RNLI’s Atlantic 85 lifeboat, Norma T, with a 40-foot yacht that had broken free from its mooring and was drifting dangerously near the Langstone Harbour entrance.
Joint Lifeboat Effort Against Turbulent Tides
The Alfred Albert Williams rendezvoused with Norma T about a cable northwest of the Langstone Fairway marker at 5.45pm. With a crew member from Norma T onboard, they managed to secure the yacht and set a tow back into Langstone Harbour, battling choppy winds and strong tidal currents.
Safe Return and Swift Recovery
After returning to calmer waters, the tow was handed back to the Norma T, which safely moored the yacht at Hayling Ferry pontoon. The Alfred Albert Williams then headed back to Bembridge, completing the rescue by 7.30pm the same evening. Another day, another lifesaving job done by the RNLI!
