Kirkwall RNLI crew lifeboat launch to rescue solo yachtswoman
At 1am on Thursday (7 May), volunteers at Kirkwall Lifeboat Station responded to a call for assistance from a yachtswoman who had become exhausted out at sea.
The all-weather Severn class relief lifeboat, Roger and Joy Freeman, was launched with a volunteer crew of seven. The volunteer lifeboat crew on duty included a coxswain, a navigator, a mechanic and four crew members.
The lifeboat crew were on scene, approximately 44 nautical miles east of Orkney, at 2.40am. Volunteer crew member Graeme Spence was tasked with boarding the yacht to assess the casualty.
The decision was made not to move the casualty from her own vessel, therefore the safest option was to establish a tow line, which was expertly attached. The crew member, who had boarded the yacht, stayed with the casualty and her vessel for the duration of the incident.
The casualty vessel was secured at Kirkwall Marina at 8.39am and the lifeboat was berthed alongside at 9am. The volunteer crew, on call 24/7 to save lives at sea, washed down the lifeboat and refuelled it ready for the next emergency.
Notes to editors
This rescue was carried out in night time conditions with the aid of a search light. The sea was rough with swell heights between 4-5 meters, and it was raining.
RNLI Media Contacts
For further information, please contact:
Erica Niven, Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer for RNLI Scotland, [email protected]
Richard Smith, RNLI Regional Communications Manager for Scotland, 07826 900639, [email protected]
Martin Macnamara, RNLI Regional Communications Lead for Scotland, 07920 365929, [email protected]
RNLI Press Office, 01202 336789, [email protected]
Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,700 lives.
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