Newhaven RNLI make life-saving intervention to rescue sailor and his dog 'Sky'
At 10:13pm on Thursday 2 April, the volunteer lifeboat crew at Newhaven RNLI were paged to reports of a vessel at anchor in Seaford Bay, with one person on board, who had fallen and sustained head and shoulder injuries, and a small dog.
Newhaven RNLI launched the Severn Class All-Weather Lifeboat (ALB) ‘David & Elizabeth Acland’ at speed to rescue them with seven volunteer crew members on board sighting the 11-metre motor-powered sailing vessel near Splash Point at 10.50pm and making contact with the casualty via VHF radio.
‘Due to the serious nature of their injuries the casualty had hit their head hard and had a suspected shoulder dislocation they were unable to make their way to safety,’ said Alex Beckett, volunteer lifeboat crew member and the ALB Coxswain, who also serves as an Ambulance Operations Manager with SECAMB.
‘So, the plan was to put three crew aboard to assist in casualty care, who would then take control of the vessel and bring it back to port.’
The crew were briefed and prepared with helmets, lifejackets, and a casualty care kit, but transferring them onto the vessel would be a challenging manoeuvre as the waves were between 1.25-2 metres in height, with a moderate south westerly breeze, and the boat was facing these waves beam-on, which meant it was rolling dramatically.
The All-Weather Lifeboat approached cautiously from upwind, successfully coming alongside the casualty vessel with relatively light contact between each boat.
The crew tended to the casualty – confirming he was conscious and talking and that his small dog called 'Sky' was also doing well – and took control of the vessel, recovering the anchor and following the Newhaven All-Weather Lifeboat at a slow, careful speed of 5-6 knots to Newhaven Marina, where an ambulance was waiting for the casualty.
‘This was a tricky night rescue due to the sea conditions,’ said Alex, ‘But thankfully we managed to execute our plan successfully and bring the casualty and his much-loved dog 'Sky' back to shore safely.’
Having passed the casualty into the care of the ambulance, the volunteer crew from Newhaven RNLI made their way back to the station and the All-Weather Lifeboat was made ready for its next emergency.
Tony Mundy, who was rescued, said: 'The RNLI do a fantastic job and make the water a safer place for everyone who uses the sea.'
ENDS
Notes to editors
Pic credit: Newhaven RNLI
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