Being an Island, the sea is a major part of our lives. We travel across it, we sit by it, sail on it and even swim in it. We enjoy our sea environment…. until something goes wrong. And trouble can come quite unexpectedly. A dinghy can capsize; a swimmer can get caught in a current; there can be an injury aboard a large ocean racer; or an engine can quite simply fail. What was fun, now becomes a nightmare.
We assume outside help will be at hand and, fortunately, it is. The Isle of Wight has RNLI lifeboat stations and other support services which are co-ordinated by H M Coastguard Service in an actual rescue. Among these services are four independent Inshore Lifeboats – Cowes, Ryde, Freshwater and Sandown & Shanklin. These inshore stations receive no financial backing from the RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institute) or from any other body, apart from some ‘pump priming’ support grants from the Solent Sea Rescue Organisation. To qualify for this money, stringent standards have to be met. But sustaining the service is down to the local community and the volunteer workforce.