VIDEO: Sailors rescued from Chichester Harbour boat blaze
FOUR men had to be rescued when their boat caught fire just minutes after setting off from Chichester Harbour.
Lifeboat crews rushed to the scene of the burning 40ft motor cruiser at around 1pm on on Sunday (March 29) and brought the men to safety.
The boat had left Northney Marina in Hayling Island and beached at Conigar Point at Warblington where firefighters from both West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service and Hayling Island and Havant continued to tackle the blaze from both on the water and onshore.
Click the green play button to see video filmed by the RNLI.
A spokesperson for the RNLI said: "The voluntary lifeboat crew made sure that other vessels kept well away from the burning vessel which was drifting in the tide with a full fuel tank, a spare petrol can and a full gas bottle on board. The four men, who were unharmed, were taken back to Northney Marina."
Police also put up a 200-yard security cordon because of the risk of explosion from the fuel and gas canisters on board.
By 4.30pm the fire was under control but the boat has been completely destroyed. It is not yet known what started the blaze.
Three hours later, when Hayling Island's Atlantic 85 lifeboat had been returned to the station, the lifeboat crew responded to a mayday call to a person in the water from a capsized dinghy off East Head, in Chichester Harbour .
The dinghy sailor, who was unharmed, was taken on board the lifeboat and he and his boat were taken back to the shore.
An RNLI spokesperson added: "The rescue of the dinghy sailor was the fifth service in which the new Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat has been involved since it was placed on station at Hayling only four weeks ago.
"The Atlantic 85 with its twin engines is faster and more efficient than the Atlantic 75 lifeboat it replaced and certainly proved its worth on Sunday."
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Weather for Chichester
Monday 28 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 13 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 22 mph
Wind direction: West
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 12 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: West
