Dramatic night rescue of two young brothers by Staithes RNLI
Dramatic night rescue of two young brothers by Staithes RNLI
Lifeboats News Release
Two teenage brothers were plucked from the sea in a dramatic high-speed RNLI rescue off Skinningrove on Sunday evening (August 28).
The boys, aged 15 and 13, from Carlin How had got into difficulties while swimming off the beach when the alarm was raised at 8 pm by a trainee crew member of Staithes and Runswick RNLI who happened to be walking on Skinningrove Pier.
Sam Shelley contacted the Coastguard and messaged fellow crew members at Staithes and the inshore lifeboat ‘Pride of Leicester' was launched within four minutes of the alarm being raised. Eight minutes later the Atlantic 75 had made the four mile passage to Skinningrove and in fast-fading light crew members Richard Pennell and Luke Hutchinson spotted the boys clinging to debris a quarter of a mile off the beach and hauled them aboard.
The crew sped the casualties back to Staithes where they were met by paramedics and Coastguard teams. They were given hot showers and warm RNLI clothing before being taken by ambulance to James Cook Hospital, Middlesbrough for more precautionary checks.
It was a night to remember for Staithes RNLI helm and Tees pilot Lee Jackson. He was celebrating his wedding anniversary in the Endeavour Restaurant on the High Street in Staithes when the call came and he dropped everything to race to the lifeboat station and take control at sea.
This was a textbook operation that showed the RNLI at its very best,This was a textbook operation that showed the RNLI at its very best,' said volunteer helm Lee Jackson. 'Just a few minutes later and it could have been deadly serious. The boys were getting very cold, they were wearing only shorts and T-shirts and it would have been even harder to find them in pitch blackness. As it was the crew did exceptionally well to locate them at sea so quickly.'
'To launch in four minutes from the alarm is just about a record for this station and for our volunteer crew to have brought the boys back to warmth and safety in under 20 minutes is remarkable. Great credit too to our trainee Sam Shelley who raised the alarm in exemplary fashion.'
The RNLI charity 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 146,000 lives.
