Rowing boat stuck on a beach in the Atlantic
A transatlantic rowing boat carrying four rowers was forced ashore after encountering difficulties at sea. HM Coastguard was alerted to the stranded vessel on Southbourne beach, Bournemouth, at 09:45 BST on Sunday. The Southbourne Coastguard Rescue Team, RNLI Mudeford lifeboat, and South Western Ambulance service responded to the incident.
All four rowers were brought safely to shore, with one person suffering a leg injury. Efforts to recover the vessel are underway.
Mike Scott, 54, a business journalist who witnessed the event, said the boat appeared to be struggling in strong winds and rough waves. He noted that one of the rowers’ oars seemed to have broken, leaving the crew at the mercy of the waves. As they neared shore, one rower jumped out to control the boat, but a large wave pushed the vessel onto the beach, causing all four rowers to be thrown onto the sand.
The group managed to secure the boat with anchors to prevent it from drifting away. The vessel, once part of the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, previously participated in the 3,000-mile race from Spain to Antigua in 2016, when it was used by UK rowers Lee Felton and Sean Lannon. The current ownership of the boat is unknown.
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