Four rescued by Lyme Regis RNLI crew as powerboat drifts towards rocks
Four people, including an 11 month old boy, were rescued by the volunteer crew of the Lyme Regis lifeboat station on Saturday 15 July, when their 10m powerboat broke down and was reported to be drifting towards rocks.
The powerboat had suffered power failure off Beer Head. The lifeboat was launched at 6.27pm just 6 minutes after the crew's pagers alerted them to a mayday call to coastguards from the stricken vessel. The lifeboat crew reached the powerboat 20 minutes after launching and took it in tow.
On board were Tom Montgomery-Swan, 29, from Exeter, his wife Aisha, baby Edward, crew member Nick Dodge from Seaton and the family's pet dog Winston, a German Pointer.
Tom said: 'The lifeboat crew arrived incredibly quickly and we were delighted to see them. We were 400m off Beer Head when our power failed and there was a danger that we might have drifted towards the rocks.'
The lifeboat towed the powerboat, with its four 'crew' to the safety of Lyme Regis harbour, arriving at 8pm. None of those aboard the powerboat needed medical attention.
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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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