RNLI Hoylake Hovercraft assists UK Coastguard in casualty rescue in the Mersey
On the afternoon of 8 October volunteers from RNLI Hoylake Hovercraft Crew worked with UK Coastguard to rescue two casualties from a 21' speedboat, which had suffered engine failure in the Runcorn Bridge area.
RNLI Hoylake’s Hovercraft was launched at 4:30pm on 8 October and was on the scene in good time.
The speedboat in question had run aground and become stranded due to the ebbing tide. The hovercraft helped to make the vessel secure with an anchor and delivered the two persons on board safely to the Liverpool Yacht Club slipway.
Hovercraft crew member, Chris Green, said ‘We’re very happy with the outcome of this shout. The crew worked together as a team alongside the Coastguard to ensure both persons on board made it safely to land.'
There are just four RNLI inshore rescue hovercrafts in operation across the UK. Hovercrafts can reach areas inaccessible to conventional lifeboats, often operating where the water is too shallow for boats and therefore extending the RNLI’s lifesaving capability around the coast.
Volunteers of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution are on standby 24 hours a day ready to fulfil their duty in search and rescue operations.
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For more information please contact Victoria Phipps, RNLI Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer on: 07709 391253.
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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