Lucky escape for woman trying to rescue dog at Scarborough

The coastguard called out Scarborough RNLI at 5.43pm in response to reports of a woman in the water near the Spa, at the peak of a high spring tide.

Fortunately, the sea was calm and the inshore lifeboat was already out on exercise.

The lifeboat was on scene within minutes and found the woman holding on to a lifebelt which had been thrown to her by a member of the public.

She was also clutching her small dog, which she had been trying to rescue.

'The casualty was clinging to the lifebelt and starting to go under because of the backwash from the Spa wall,' said helmsman Matt Marks, on his first shout.

The crew of three pulled the woman and her dog into the lifeboat and took them to the nearby beach, where an ambulance was waiting.

John Senior, lifeboat operations manager, said: 'We are delighted that this service had a positive outcome but we can’t stress too much or too often how important it is not to try and rescue animals that have entered the sea, as they nearly always manage to make their own way out unaided.

'The crew's actions were exemplary and their calm professionalism and quick thinking means that a life was saved tonight.'

RNLI media contact

Dave Barry, Scarborough RNLI press officer, 07890 322992

Notes to editors

Scarborough RNLI’s all-weather Shannon-class lifeboat Frederick William Plaxton came into service on 19 December 2016.

It took over from the Mersey-class lifeboat Fanny Victoria Wilkinson and Frank Stubbs, which after 25 years’ service had reached the end of its operational life.

The £2m Shannon lifeboat was funded by donations from the FW Plaxton Charitable Trust.

The trust was set up following the death of Frederic ‘Eric’ Plaxton to ensure that the proceeds of his estate be applied to charitable purposes for the benefit of the inhabitants of Scarborough, in memory of his father.

Frederick William Plaxton was the founder of Scarborough-based coach building firm Plaxton Ltd, and the new lifeboat has been named in his memory.

The Shannon lifeboat

• The Shannon lifeboat is the first modern RNLI all-weather lifeboat to be powered by water jets and not propellers.

• Capable of 25 knots, the Shannon is 50% faster than the lifeboats it replaces – ensuring that those in need are reached even faster.

The following stations also have, or will be getting, a Shannon-class lifeboat: Amble, Dungeness, Exmouth, Fleetwood, Hoylake, Ilfracombe, Lowestoft, Montrose, St Ives, Swanage, Montrose, Lough Swilly, Douglas, Llandudno, Skegness, Selsey, Wells and Workington. Other stations are yet to be confirmed.

Launch and recovery

• The Shannon needs a bespoke launch and recovery system. It is designed to be mostly launched and recovered from a beach, but can’t do it without the right launching equipment.

The RNLI has developed a system capable of launching and recovering the Shannon lifeboat from the beach at all states of tide.

• The total cost of the Shannon launch and recovery system is £1.5m. Scarborough’s was part-funded by two legacies. An appeal raised the remaining £200,000.

Key facts about the RNLI

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.

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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.