A five meter boat ran aground near Mudeford. RNLI Mudeford rescued the man and towed the boat to safety.
Simon Challis, a volunteer at Mudeford RNLI, sent the lifeboat crew right away. The crew arrived in just eight minutes. They discovered a man standing in the water, trying to push his boat to deeper water as big waves hit the boat’s back.
The crew told HM Coastguard about the problem. They floated the boat and decided to tow it to Christchurch Harbour, where Lymington Coastguard helped them.
The man felt able to navigate back alone. He returned to his mooring in the rib, and the lifeboat returned to its station at 2:09 PM.
Simon explained the harbour channel changes often because weather and tides cause shifts in the sandbar. He advised people to learn about local dangers before they go out on the water.
He thanked the people who reported the incident, noting that their fast actions stopped a bigger problem. Simon urged people to call 999 for water emergencies and then ask for the Coastguard.
The Mudeford RNLI lifeboat, named Henrietta H, launched six times this year. The crew responded to 82 calls in 2024, and in 2023, they had 85 calls.