Stricken fishermen rescued in Solent

FOUR fishermen were rescued after their boat engine failed.
By The Newsroom
Published 13th Nov 2016, 16:04 BST
Updated 16th Nov 2016, 16:39 BST
Gafirs rush to the aid of four fishermen after their boat engine failed in the Solent on November 12. Picture: GafirsGafirs rush to the aid of four fishermen after their boat engine failed in the Solent on November 12. Picture: Gafirs
Gafirs rush to the aid of four fishermen after their boat engine failed in the Solent on November 12. Picture: Gafirs

A crew from Gosport and Fareham Inshore Rescue Service (Gafirs) rushed to help at 8pm yesterday.

When they arrived at the incident, just off Spitbank Fort, a Ministry of Defence police boat was providing assistance to the stricken 24-foot vessel.

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Coxswain Brian Pack said: 'The fishermen had been out for most of the day but when they tried to start their engine to head home, nothing happened.

'They called the Coastguard for help and we offered to tow them back home.'

A rescuer from Gafirs went on the broken down vessel, which was then towed back to its berth in Trafalgar Wharf. This took about an hour.

'Fortunately it was high tide which made getting the vessel back on its berth in Trafalgar Wharf a lot easier,' added Mr Pack.

In total the rescue operation lasted two-and-a-half hours and was Gafirs' 107th launch of the year.