Cullercoats RNLI rescue small jet tender in difficulty

The crew from Cullercoats assembled and launched quickly, steering towards the last known location of the 4 metre vessel. Due to the boat being low in the water, it was initially difficult for the crew to spot, but they soon located the casualty when he waved a yellow bag to identify himself.

The lone sailor on board the vessel, who was wearing a life jacket, had initially launched from Cullercoats and was journeying to the River Tyne. When he began experiencing trouble with the vessel, he called 999 and asked for the Coastguard, who had paged the lifeboat crew.

Once on scene, the crew established a tow with the vessel and took the casualty on board the lifeboat for safety. He was cold but otherwise unharmed; the crew kept him warm and towed the vessel back to Cullercoats. When the casualty and the vessel were safely back ashore, the crew returned to station and made the lifeboat ready for service once again.

Written by Anna Heslop, Cullercoats Crew Member and Press Officer, [email protected]

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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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