Cowes RNLI Lifeboat: Image Isle of Wight Photo Agency.
A yacht called Mystery really lived up to its name when it was found by Cowes lifeboat to have drifted unmanned into the Solent’s main shipping lane this evening.
The lifeboat crew discovered that although an anchor had been deployed from the 30 foot yacht off Osborne Bay it had not been properly secured. After scanning in vain the surrounding sea and the shore-line for any sign of the yacht crew the lifeboat crew learned from another yacht that they had been seen making for Cowes in a dinghy.
Acting on Solent Coastguards’ advice, lifeboat crew members Pete Cunningham and Chris Cockroft went aboard the Mystery to retrieve the anchor so that the lifeboat could tow the yacht to Cowes. But it was while the tow was underway that a small dinghy emerged from the harbour, carrying a very grateful and embarrassed Dutch couple.
The mystery of the Mystery was finally solved, and the lifeboat, helmed by Max Rimington, could prematurely conclude its rescue mission. It returned to station at 7.45 pm, having been absent for about an hour.
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