On 8 May 1869 the town's rescue volunteers service was supplied with a new lifeboat called the Captain Hans Busk (ON 376) which was kept and launched from a slipway on Ryde Pier.

Volunteer Force originator Hans Busk paid for the boat, and it was named after him.

[6][7] Around 5:30 that evening, the Ryde lifeboat Selina was launched to assist, with nine crew, including coxswain William John Bartlett at the helm.

[6][7] Weather conditions deteriorated, and around 7:45 PM, a sudden heavy squall capsized the Selina, throwing the crew into cold water without any way of signalling for help.

The lifeboat drifted across the Solent to Southsea on the south coast of the English mainland.

[6][7][8] Meanwhile, the small boat belonging to the Jane had managed to row across the Solent, landing opposite Eastney Barracks at Southsea at around 7:00 PM, prior to the capsizing of the Selina.

Jarrett maintained that the small boat had been stolen and he had later recovered it at the Dover Street Slipway, although later inquiry suggested it may simply have floated away after being poorly secured.