Whitstable and Margate RNLI lifeboats assist cruiser after cyclist raises alarm
The Whitstable volunteer in shore lifeboat was launched at 07.46am on Monday 8 May following a report from the UK Coastguard of a 30ft motor cruiser with two persons on board at risk of grounding off Bishopstone Glen, Herne Bay.
The initial report of a vessel in difficulty came from off duty coastguard Henry Treadwell who had been out cycling when he spotted the craft’s distress.
The lifeboat crew located the craft, which had gone ashore at Bishopstone Glen at 8.00am. RNLI volunteer helmsman Richard Judge said:
'Due to the size of the casualty craft and the north-north easterly force 5-6 wind and two metre swell we requested that the Margate all-weather lifeboat be launched to assist'.
'Assisted by the Herne Bay Coastguard Rescue Team we passed a tow line and put a lifeboat crew member on board and eventually towed the casualty vessel clear of the beach'.
'On inspection it was found that while there had been no significant ingress of water, the motor cruiser had suffered damage to its steering. We handed the tow over to the Margate Lifeboat 3/4-mile offshore which then took the vessel under tow for Whitstable Harbour'.
Just after 10.00am the motor cruiser was secured alongside the west quay and both lifeboats were released to return to station.
The motor cruiser had left Canvey Island at 10.00pm the previous evening for a fishing trip and got into difficulties when it lost power off Herne Bay. This was the 9th call of the year for Whitstable's volunteer lifeboat crews.
Whitstable crew information:
Crew: Dave Parry, Tim Smith, Andy Williams.
Launchers: John Keam, Ben Crosswell, Adrian Woolrich-Burt, Mark Sidders.
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 in-shore lifeboat named Lewisco, purchased through a bequest of a Mrs Lewis of London who passed away in 2006.
RNLI media contacts:
Chris Davey, Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer, Whitstable Lifeboat Station.
07741 012004/ [email protected]
Tim Ash, RNLI Public Relations Manager (London/East/South East)
0207 6207426 / 07785 296252 / [email protected]
Paul Dunt RNLI Press Officer London/southeast/east Tel: 0207 6207416 Mob: (07786) 668825 [email protected]
For enquiries outside normal business hours, contact the RNLI duty press officer on 01202 336789
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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