26/06/2026
On Wednesday evening after a typical IRB training session and just moments before leaving the club at approximately 21:30, one of our members Anton spotted a swimmer in difficulty around 100m offshore on the west side of the pier. A friend had also entered the water in an attempt to help.
With support from another member Marcus and John our Boatswain, they had the garages open, the IRB kitted and launched, in under three minutes reaching them in less than four.
Both men were brought safely ashore, exhausted from the swim and extremely grateful for their assistance. Potentially, a life saved.
Unbeknownst to them at the time, on their return they heard a radio call between Solent Coastguard and Poole Lifeboat, who had just been tasked to the incident. They were able to make contact with Solent Coastguard, who thanked the team for the quick response and stood Poole Lifeboat down.
This wouldn’t have happened without Anton’s sharp eyes on the water, even at the end of a long training session, Marcus’ rapid preparation of the IRB, and everyone working together to put our training into action.
Well done and thank you team BLGC 👏
A shout out to all voluntary IRB patrols out on the water this weekend ☀️
