Three anglers from Hythe, near Southampton, were rescued after their
dinghy capsized in the Solent Friday night. All three were wearing
survival suits and told their rescuers they had been in the water for
about 40 minutes.

At approximately midnight a red flare was
spotted from the Lymington River. The Isle of Wight Needles Coastguard
Rescue Team were turned out and a pan pan or urgency message was
broadcast alerting other sea users to the flare.

Shortly
afterwards, the Coastguard received a report of three men being picked
out of the water by the crew of the yacht ‘Mange Tout’ midway between
Lymington and Yarmouth.

The three men reported that they had set
out in a 14ft boat from Hythe but had turned over off Bouldner Bay as
they were attempting to free a fouled anchor.

They fired two flares which had alerted passing vessels and been seen ashore.

The three survivors were met by an ambulance crew and the Needles Coastguard Team. None required hospitalization.

Alerts
were then made overnight by the Coastguard to passing shipping to be
aware of the floating 14 foot cuddy and late Saturday afternoon the
upturned craft was located about 4 to 5 miles from the point of
Friday’s incident.

David Williams, Watch Manager at Solent
Coastguard said “Undoubtedly these flares saved their lives. To be
adrift mid-Solent at midnight on a dark night albeit in a survival suit
is not the best place to be. They also lost all their personal
belongings when the craft turned over. Fortunately the crew of the
‘Mange Tout’ saw their flare and we’re grateful to the other offers of
help that came in after we broadcast the alert.”

The vessel upturned vessel has now been recovered to the shoreline by the Isle of Wight’s Freshwater Inshore Rescue boat.