By Mal Butler
The brave Bembridge RNLI volunteer crew launched, in gale force conditions, as Storm Austen battered the Island on Friday.
Storm Austen, which was closely followed by Storm Boleo on Saturday, caused havoc with ferry services being cancelled and several trees being blown down as near-80mph winds caused mayhem across the Island.
The Bembridge RNLI all-weather boat was tasked by HM Coastguard at 8.45am last Friday, to provide safety cover during a multi-agency ongoing incident.
The lifeboat was stood down shortly after launching but the crew could not recover at their own station and spent the night at Shepherds Wharf Marina before returning to Bembridge RNLI the next day.
Bembridge Lifeboat operations manager, John Keyworth, said: “It was an interesting launch for the crew due to the tidal conditions and severe weather we were faced with from Storm Austen.
“Although we were stood down shortly after launching, the crew did their part exceptionally well and demonstrated great skill in carrying out the launch safely in horrendous storm conditions.”
Across the day Red Funnel’s vehicle ferry, Red Jet, Hovertravel, and Wightlink all announced cancellations as the winds raged.
Southern Vectis bus routes were also affected with several diversions due to fallen trees.
Theme park, Blackgang Chine, was also forced to close over the weekend with fallen branches on the site, including near the singing Dodos.
A spokesman said: “We’re really sorry, but it meant we weren’t able to open as we had hoped.
“The safety of our visitors and team always comes first. A big thank you for everyone’s patience while we got things sorted.”
Isle of Wight Observer