Volunteers at an independent lifeboat station were tasked to assist four separate vessels in distress this weekend (June 2-3). Gosport & Fareham Inshore Rescue Service (GAFIRS), based at Stokes Bay, Gosport, was first mobilised by UK Coastguard at 8.30am on Saturday. A 28ft yacht had broken down...
A woman was airlifted to hospital from a luxury hotel in The Solent after becoming seriously ill. The 35-year-old had been at a party with friends on Spit Bank Fort when she started to drift in and out of consciousness around 10.30pm on Wednesday (May 9). Friends...
A yacht with a suspected fire and another with engine failure kept volunteers at an independent lifeboat station busy this Bank Holiday weekend. Gosport & Fareham Inshore Rescue Service (GAFIRS) was first launched by UK Coastguard on Sunday (May 6) just after 6am to a 32ft...
A 40ft sailing yacht which had suffered engine failure was towed to safety by an independent lifeboat on Tuesday morning (April 24). The vessel, which had two people on board and also had issues with its sails, was at anchor in Stokes Bay, Gosport, when UK...
Volunteer lifeboat crews were called upon by the Coastguard three times in just over 24 hours to assist people in trouble in the water. Two stranded fishermen, a young sailor who had got into difficulties and concerns about three men on an inflatable kayak saw Gosport...
A seriously ill man was evacuated from the luxury No Man’s Land Fort hotel early on Sunday morning by lifeboat crews. Gosport & Fareham Inshore Rescue Service (GAFIRS) was paged to assist the diabetic 44-year-old man, who had become seriously ill and couldn’t be woken, at...
A 44ft yacht that had suffered engine failure after a suspected fire was assisted by an independent lifeboat on Sunday (March 18). The crew of five – two of whom were suffering with serious sea sickness in the freezing, rough Solent waters – called the Coastguard...
An independent lifeboat was mobilised to assist a woman who had been hit on the head by the boom of a sailing vessel on Sunday (March 11). Gosport & Fareham Inshore Rescue Service’s lifeboat was afloat training in the Solent when the yacht issued a mayday...
An 81-year-old woman was airlifted to hospital after falling and breaking her arm on No Man’s Land Fort. Gosport & Fareham Inshore Rescue Service (GAFIRS) was paged to assist the pensioner just before midnight on Sunday (March 4) at the luxury hotel. Three volunteer crew members –...
The aftermath of a speedboat trip which nearly ended in tragedy was the second GAFIRS incident to be featured on the BBC One programme Close Calls: On Camera. This series looks at incidents which almost ended in disaster. The footage features the crew of Gosport Lifeboat,...