RNLI Portsmouth back Respect the Water campaign as boat is rescued twice in fortnight

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution is running its Respect the Water campaign this month to try and halve the number of accidental coastal deaths by 2024.

The Portsmouth branch is backing the campaign and Aaron Gent, from the station, is urging people to listen to the messages.

It comes as a 14ft motorboat with a group of men on board is believed to have been rescued twice in the past two weeks.

RNLI Portsmouth responded to a distress call from the vessel on Wednesday at 8pm.

The motorboat was stranded in Langstone Harbour after it launched earlier in the evening and ran out of fuel.

Mr Gent said: ‘Our Respect the Water campaign is about making sure people are prepared and trained to be out on the water.

‘The men from this rescue fall directly in the category that we are aiming our campaign towards.

‘It is 18 to 25-year-old males who are the people that are predominantly going to get into trouble.

‘We want to make sure that if someone does get into trouble, they understand the situation and seek advice.

‘If someone is not sure what they are doing, we want them to be prepared with a radio, phone and life jackets.’

Using VHF radio equipment, the crew from RNLI Portsmouth was able to locate the distressed vessel on the east side of Langstone Harbour, where two of the five passengers were waist-deep in water holding the boat in the shallows near the beach.

One of the men from the water was assessed for hypothermia but it was decided an ambulance would not be needed. They were towed to the Broadmarsh slipway.

It is believed the same boat got into trouble on June 5 when a small fire started onboard in the outboard motor while they were in the water off Lee-on-the-Solent.

Hill Head Coastguard and the Gosport and Fareham Inshore Rescue Service responded but the fire was out on arrival.

Advice was given by the Hill Head Coastguard.