Sea Safety in the Harbour: the long and the short of it

The couple have been running the clinic for fifteen years and are dedicated to ensuring that people’s equipment meets the highest safety standards. Derek said, ‘The success of this event relies heavily upon the support of James Bateman, the Harbour Master at Rye, and his deputy, Karl Sandercock, as well as the Rye Boat Owners’ Association. We'd also like to say a big thank you to Fox Marina which provides the venue.’

Derek and Jean’s motivation to promote safety at sea at all times stems from their involvement with the sea for over forty years as sailors and boat-owners. They give their time and expertise freely and both volunteer locally as part of the Sea Safety team. Life jackets need to be regularly checked and the main task of this clinic is to identify any fault, enabling the owners to rectify it. Derek said that the failure rate each year is between 10-15% and this is similar to the nationwide figure.

Cedric Hillier, a local resident, said that often the problem arises when people buy a new craft which comes with life jackets and presume that they are in top condition: sadly this is often not the case.

The clinic checks 90 to 100 jackets each year for free; many choose to make a donation and the proceeds go to the RNLI. Glenda visited along with friends. She couldn’t praise the service highly enough. ‘The best thing is that it is on my doorstep,’ she said, ‘and the atmosphere is always so welcoming.'

Big thanks go to Derek and Jean for their dedication to saving lives at sea through proper safety checks and showing people how to Respect the Water.

RNLI Media contacts

Kt Bruce, Rye Harbour RNLI volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer (07789) 818878 [email protected]

Paul Dunt, Regional Media Officer (South East), 0207 6207426, 07785 296252 [email protected]

For enquiries outside normal business hours, contact the RNLI duty press officer on 01202 336789

RNLI online: For more information on the RNLI please visit http://www.rnli.org/. News releases and other media resources, including RSS feeds, downloadable photos and video, are available at the RNLI News Centre.

Key facts about the RNLI

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution is the charity that saves lives at sea. Our volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service in the United Kingdom and Ireland from 237 lifeboat stations, including four along the River Thames and inland lifeboat stations at Loch Ness, Lough Derg, Enniskillen and Lough Ree. Additionally the RNLI has more than 1,000 lifeguards on over 180 beaches around the UK and operates a specialist flood rescue team, which can respond anywhere across the UK and Ireland when inland flooding puts lives at risk.

The RNLI relies on public donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. As a charity it is separate from, but works alongside, government-controlled and funded coastguard services. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824 our lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved at least 140,000 lives. Volunteers make up 95% of the charity, including 4,600 volunteer lifeboat crew members and 3,000 volunteer shore crew. Additionally, tens of thousands of other dedicated volunteers raise funds and awareness, give safety advice, and help in our museums, shops and offices.

Learn more about the RNLI

For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.

Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 or by email.

The RNLI is a charity registered in England and Wales (209603) and Scotland (SC037736). Charity number 20003326 in the Republic of Ireland.

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.

Learn more about the RNLI

For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, X, TikTok and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.

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.