7th July: Foil Pumper

I had an incident at NCI Stone Point on 21st January involving Foil Pumpers.  The problem is that a paddle boarder in rough water and far from the shore can cause concern for members of the public and they may “dial 999 and ask for Coastguard”.  In most cases they have planned a one way, down wind,  journey and they land at their destination, pack up, and drive away without being aware that they may have triggered a Search and Rescue incident.

On Sunday 7th July we observed a foil pumper heading into rough water over the spit and carrying on towards Stanswood Bay.  We alerted NCI Calshot Tower who spotted him and kept “eyes on” until he landed at Calshot.  He looked to be having great fun in the waves, if I were younger I might well be tempted!

The photos below are straight from the camera without colour correction or cropping; a bit of bush got in the way for the last one but they give an idea of what a foil pumper looks like through a telescope or binoculars when viewed from the shore…