"Incapacitated" yacht captain rescued from grounded boat near Portsmouth Harbour and passed to paramedics

Volunteer personnel from the Gosport and Fareham Inshore Rescue Service (GAFIRS) found the individual on a grounded yacht last Friday (June 20). They were called out to Portsmouth Harbour at 9pm.

GAFIRS said in a statement on Facebook that a member of the public flagged down the crew and were able to reach the scene thanks to their shallow-draught vessel. Personnel managed to board the stricken yacht, extract the individual and transfer them on to the lifeboat. The statement described the boat captain as “incapacitated”.

They was passed on to the Portsmouth Coastguard Rescue Team at Wicor Marine and paramedics for medical attention. Coxswain James Baggott said: “Our heartfelt thanks go out to the skipper who flagged us down. Without his quick thinking and vital help, we wouldn’t have known about the yacht – and his support was key to a safe outcome.”

Lifeboat crews were originally called to investigate an unmanned tender reported adrift in Portsmouth Harbour. They were not able to locate it due to fading light, with the crew returning to the station shortly after midnight.