Eight days - five call outs for volunteers at Kirkcudbright RNLI

The volunteer crew was tasked at 8am on Sunday by HM Coastguard to respond to a Mayday Call.

They were sent, along with several other lifeboats, to assist a vessel taking in water near the Isle of Whithorn. En-route the crew were informed that the three persons on the damaged vessel had been taken on board by a local fishing vessel and safely taken to the Isle of Whithorn.

HM Coastguard requested a search for the vessel as Kirkcudbright’s lifeboat carries a salvage pump. However, apart from a strong smell of fuel nothing was found of the vessel. The RNLI Lifeboat along with Port William Inshore Lifeboat Pirsac III were then stood down and Kirkcudbright’s Sheila Stenhouse returned to its moorings on the river at Kirkcudbright and was refuelled.

Sunday’s rescue was after another Mayday call on Friday 29 May at 1.20pm when a report was received that a swimmer had possibly gone missing between Carrick and Sandgreen Beaches.

This triggered a search with Fleet Bay Inshore Rescue, Coastguard Helicopter Rescue from Prestwick, Coastguard Teams and the Police. A thorough search was carried out of the area for around 40 minutes until the person was located on land safe and well.

As the crew look forward to the opening of the new boathouse extension facility and a new boat arriving, the inshore lifeboat Sheila Stenhouse and her volunteer crew continues to serve the community 24/7 365 days a year. The last week has shown the variety of call outs that can occur and the crew continue to train for the tasks in hand.

As the summer approaches and with the recent good weather in mind it is always good to visit the RNLI site for advice and the RNLI are once again reminding us of the Float to Live message https://rnli.org/safety/float. The water can be a source of great fun and pleasure but the public are reminded always to take the advised precautions and care.

RNLI Media Contacts

For further information, please contact:

Christine Collins, 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.

Learn more about the RNLI

For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, TikTok and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.

Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.