St Bees RNLI assists two casualties on land and sea

By 2.20am, the lifeboat was safely launched and made way to the casualty. The harbour lock keeper at Whitehaven Marina contacted the Coastguard after becoming concerned for the sole person onboard a yacht, seemingly in difficulty. The individual had become exhausted while attempting to recover the yacht’s anchor in rough seas, and there were concerns they may have fallen overboard.

The lifeboat arrived on scene at approximately 2.40am and the crew made contact with the yacht. The lifeboat crew assisted the person in recovering the anchor, after which the yacht was able to make its way safely back through the lock gates and to its mooring.

Due to the sea state and prevailing weather conditions, the lifeboat remained moored in Whitehaven Harbour overnight and was recovered the following day when conditions had improved.

We would like to thank the Whitehaven Harbour lock keeper for their swift thinking and prompt call for assistance, and our colleagues at HM Coastguard for their support.

Later that day, St Bees RNLI was also called to assist Whitehaven Coastguard Rescue Team with a casualty who had been walking their dog on the beach. They had fallen and sustained a back injury.

Our crew assisted with safely transferring the casualty into a stretcher and up the beach to a waiting ambulance, where they were handed over to the care of paramedics.

After a busy period for the station, our thanks to all the emergency services and partner agencies involved who helped to achieve two positive outcomes.