Camping on the RIB and sinking boats

DJL · 03 August 2004, 21:15

Dylan and I spent the weekend on Bumblebee, sleeping on the RIB in Lulworth cove Saturday night. Its fantastic sleeping on the water with the stars above you. Definitely something we will try again, probably try going further a field now.

On Sunday morning after making the 9nmi run from Lulworth cove to Portland Bill lighthouse we heard a pan pan broadcast on Ch16. A boat had struck a rock and was sinking just west of Durdle Door. We turned the boat straight round and headed as fast as we could back towards the sinking vessel. On arrival we found a rather large Hardy with its stern in the air and bow almost underwater. Two large boats were standing by but neither could get close enough to offload the two crew onboard. We proceeded to transfer the two crew and belongings off the boat and onto one of the larger boats. About 5 minutes later Weymouth all weather and inshore lifeboats turned up and attempted to secure the Hardy which by then had settled on the top of the rock (either the cow or the calf - not sure which is which).

The Hardy was owned by and elderly couple in their eighties who were apparently very experienced. Although they were pretty shocked initially they soon had arranged for Apex divers to attempt salvage and then hitched a lift back to Chichester on another boat. It certainly made for an interesting morning anyway.

DJL · 03 August 2004, 21:17

Hightower · 03 August 2004, 21:49

Good on ya Daniel, sounds like an interesting weekend.

Andy

MeMe · 03 August 2004, 22:00

.great rescue. I bet you were as frightened as those being rescued !

As for the camping, I'd love to give that a try, perhaps when I get my new RIB I will !

Tim M · 03 August 2004, 23:23

MeMe - surely your Medline would be ideal for sleeping on?!?

PS. What became of cruiser?

Andy · 04 August 2004, 00:09

Well done guys helping out.

Ricky and me camped on our boat at RIBEX. It was great and the sleep was wonderfull, however it was fueled by beer after the RIBnet bash. Great fun. Count us in on your next adventure.

See yas

willowkis · 04 August 2004, 06:09

Job well done! It's great to see there are decent people around willing to help others in need.

Kim

TQBoater · 04 August 2004, 06:16

When sleeping on the boat did you use any sort of cover / tent or just out in the open ?

I would have thought everything would be very damp.

Well done on the rescue

MarkWildey · 04 August 2004, 07:37

Having spent years diving that part of the coast, I know that rock well as it quite often had bass swimming around it.
The set of rocks to the west of the door extends all the way down, off and on, to the tip of Ringstead Bay. Although there are big gaps you need to be careful.

Daniel, nice pictures

Cheers

Mark

Andy · 04 August 2004, 08:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by TQBoater

When sleeping on the boat did you use any sort of cover / tent or just out in the open ?

I would have thought everything would be very damp.

Well done on the rescue

I take camping mats to sleep on, that gets you off the deck and protects you from getting wet from below if the deck was wet. Then a good sleeping bag. Spent most of the night half in the bag as it was warm. Also as you are below the tubes, tubes one side, console the other you are sort of snug!! out of the wind etc.

We also took our boat cover which is waterproof and would have rolled it across half the boat if it rained, to give us shelter. I know there are people on here with more elegent "tent" solutions. How did you do it Daniel?

DJL · 04 August 2004, 19:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by TQBoater

When sleeping on the boat did you use any sort of cover / tent or just out in the open ?

I would have thought everything would be very damp.

Thanks all,

Tim, we left the scene about an hour later and by that time the boat had settled on the rock with the tide dropping around her. Apex divers were on their way out to salvage her that afternoon so I guess shes been refloated.

We did take a tarpaulin to create a cover but ended up not using it. The main things we took along were a pair of army surplus bivi bags and sleeping bags - I woke several times in the night and the boat was covered in dew, but we stayed perfectly dry. As Andy said being beside the tubes and console keeps you fairly sheltered from the wind.

I was pretty amazed how little space all the kit took up even on my little boat. We had two dry bags for sleeping kit and clothes, and the rear console was full of food and drink. I just need to reseal the elephant trunk as we had to run the bilge pump every couple of hours.

Louise · 09 August 2004, 17:49

Great pictures, Daniel, and it sounds like you did a great rescue job. Good on you!

Andy Beach · 10 August 2004, 07:28

PORTLAND COASTGUARD COORDINATE RESCUE FROM MOTOR CRUISER ON THE ROCKS

At 10.54am this morning Portland Coastguard were contacted on VHF Channel 16 by the 36’ motor cruiser JANE reporting they had hit rocks at Bats Head in Weymouth Bay and were taking in water.

Portland Coastguard requested attendance from the RNLI Weymouth lifeboats which made their way to the scene while two local vessels stood by after responding to the Coastguard radio broadcast to shipping in the area. The local vessel BLUE BELL sent a tender and transferred the two persons on board JANE to BLUE BELL. Once on scene, the lifeboat crew were able to secure the boat on the rocks before transferring the uninjured crew to a passing vessel the FLOURISH on route to Chichester. The vessel is expected to be salvaged later today by a Weymouth salvage company.

Rob Sansom, Watch Manager at Portland Coastguard says,

“Even in the good conditions we have today, particular attention must still be paid to navigation and passage planning”

The Jackeens · 10 August 2004, 21:20

Well done Daniel and Dylan...rescue heroes

Nice to see you take some time off from the workplace

Hey they didn't call you a tender in that report did they?

Us

DJL · 10 August 2004, 23:39

I know my boats small but that’s ridiculous.

It was quite interesting really; know one really knew what was going on during the rescue. I think the Coastguards were being pushed to the limits that weekend - they were constantly casualty working.

We ended up searching for a vessel near Poole in the afternoon. The people had called the Coastguard on a mobile phone and said they were stuck on the training bank or at least that’s what Portland CG had worked out - so Coastguard were fairly worried and had the Condor ferry looking for them etc. Anyway we found them on the West side of the training bank at anchor, about 100yards from the beach and about 200 yards from a Coastguard 4x4. The only danger they were facing was that from too much sun bathing. Why are clueless people like that aloud to go out on a boat? - they had no VHF, GPS, charts - or even the faintest idea where they were!