Whitstable Lifeboat search hampered by laser pen light
A search and rescue operation by the Whitstable Lifeboat was hampered after a laser pen was shone at the lifeboat from the shore as the crew conducted a search for an overdue kayaker last seen off Hampton Pier, Herne Bay on Saturday evening.
“Fortunately we we able to continue the search investigating various radar contacts and located the casualty, a 26-year old male, paddling towards the shore a 1/2-mile north of old Herne Bay pier head”. “
“He and his craft were brought onboard the lifeboat and taken back to Hampton. The lifeboat approached the shore as deep as water would allow before relaunching his craft to make his way ashore where the Herne Bay Coastguard Unit and family members were waiting”.
Whitstable Lifeboat Operations Manager Mike Judge said “The lifeboat had been tasked to search for the kayaker in the dark up to 2-miles offshore and the search was hampered by an individual directing a laser pen light towards the crews field of vision. To shine a laser light into anyone's eyes is a dangerous thing, but to shine such a light onto a crew at sea in the dark is not only dangerous for the crew, but also to the person for whom they are searching and this was a totally irresponsible act”.
“The lifeboat crewmembers of Dave Parry, Andy Williams, Tim Smith and Liam Sidders were not harmed by the incident”.
Notes to editors:
Whitstable RNLI Lifeboat Station was established in 1963 by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and is one of 237 lifeboat stations around the shores of the UK and Ireland. The volunteer crews provide a maritime search and rescue service for the Kent coast. They cover the area between the Kingsferry Bridge on the Swale, in the west, around the south-eastern side of Sheppey and along the coast through Whitstable and Herne Bay to Reculver in the east and outwards into the Thames Estuary.
The station is equipped with an Atlantic 85 lifeboat named Lewisco, purchased through a bequest of a Mrs Lewis of London who passed away in 2006.
She is what is known as a rigid inflatable inshore lifeboat, the boat’s rigid hull being topped by an inflatable sponson. She carries a crew of four people.
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