Solent sandbank puts stop to yachtsmen's drinking plans

Two yachtsmen who just wanted to go for a drink instead became the focus of a Cowes RNLI lifeboat alert on Wednesday evening, 19 September.

The men, aboard the 35 foot Shoney, had sailed from Hamble with the intention of simply enjoying a pint at picturesque Beaulieu. But their plans went sadly awry when the yacht went firmly aground on a sandbank at the Beaulieu River entrance.

After trying without success for over half an hour to regain buoyancy in the still falling spring tide they informed Solent Coastguards of their problem. When Cowes lifeboat arrived on the scene at 1812 helmsman Scott Armiger decided the yacht's only chance of re-floating was when the tide rose sufficiently in the early hours of the morning.

After briefly putting crew member Andrea Vaughan aboard the-now acutely leaning yacht to check the men, believed to be in their sixties, were well prepared to endure the long wait, the lifeboat returned to station.

The Shoney finally reported it had re-floated at 2310, and returned to Hamble. The men had been temporarily detained on the sandbank for around six hours.