Lifeboat Called Out To Rescue Lifeboat
In a bizarre twist of fate, Cowes Lifeboat was called out to rescue the Lifeboat Public House!
Normally moored at Britannia Way, East Cowes, it had somehow slipped its moorings and was drifting out of the Medina and into the Solent.
The pub’s landlord Phil Meglassup told The Candy Press; “we think one of our customers pulled the wrong chain in the toilets and released the anchor.”
Two local sailors who were drinking on the pub’s deck at the time, Jay Fullbelly & Ken Ratarsed said; “we knew something was wrong when we saw the Red Funnel ferry getting closer, but as we had already seen it earlier that day while sailing across the river, so we knew it wasn’t going out a second time.”
“We could then see it was us moving and the ferry was still docked! Realising Phil was going to be busy sorting this mess out we quickly ordered another round before we told him the pub was adrift.”
Cowes RNLI Lifeboat Coxswain Captain Pugwash said; “it was quite amusing really. When the Coastguard rang to say we needed to rescue the lifeboat we could see it hadn’t been launched so thought it was a joke. Then one of our crew, Seaman Staines, phoned to say he was watching the Lifeboat Pub overtake the floating bridge so we had to move fast. Our shift finished in half hour and we always go to the pub after work.”
“We quickly got a line to them and towed the pub back to Britannia Way where we showed the staff how to moor up using proper knots, a bowline rather than a granny knot!” Pugwash added; “We then stayed on to check that none of the barrels in the cellar had been contaminated with seawater but our the hydrometer was back at the station so we had to do it by taste alone. There were a lot of barrels but as we like to see a job through to completion and we could claim it as overtime so double bubble!”
Phil Meglassup later released a statement to the press; ‘I would like to reassure all our customers that at no time was anybody in danger. We had enough food & drink to last until closing time, the chains in the toilets are now clearly marked and even if the Cowes Lifeboat hadn’t towed us back, our sister pub The Pilot Boat at Bembridge is always on standby.’