Festival goer rescued after taking shortcut across Solent in rowing boat

A festival goer had to be rescued after he attempted to row two miles across a busy shipping lane in the dark - and lost both his oars.

Nathan Byng, who is in his 20s, had been at the Isle of Wight Festival over the weekend and was trying to take a short cut across the Solent to his home in Southsea, Hants.

But after leaving Cowes, Isle of Wight, just before 3am this morning, he lost the oars of his rowing boat over the side and called Solent Coastguard for help.



The coastguard alerted the Cowes Insore Rescue team who sent their lifeboat out to hunt for the stricken vessel.

Rescuers eventually found Mr Byng drifting around a quarter of a mile off Cowes and brought him and the boat, which was a yacht tender, back to Cowes.

A spokesman for Solent Coastguard said: "It might have been an easier option to take the ferry back."