By Isle of Wight Observer
Cowes RNLI’S newest launch authority, Mark Scholes, had his first shout on Friday. The crew were paged at noon to reports of a man overboard in the Solent, near Gurnard. Nearby vessels had picked up an ‘AIS man overboard’ signal.
This is a distress alert, transmitted by a personal AIS-MOB device, which automatically broadcasts the location of the wearer and alerts nearby vessels.
When the crew arrived at the scene, they discovered a single yacht with two people on board and no signs of distress or a man overboard. It appeared the signal was a technical error, and the crew were stood down.
A Cowes RNLI spokesman said: “It was a happy result for Mark’s first shout, and many thanks to the nearby vessels who called this in. False alarms happen, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
Mal Butler 
Isle of Wight Observer