Swamped boat sparks rescue by Redcar RNLI
Redcar RNLI volunteers were called to go to the aid of a speedboat which became swamped in surf at Redcar on Tuesday 16 July 2019.
The alarm was raised just before 3pm when the boat was hit by waves as it was being brought ashore.
The two men with the boat were struggling to get it back onto its trailer when it began filling with water from the breaking surf.
The smaller inshore RNLI lifeboat was launched, and additional crew members travelled by road to the scene with a salvage pump.
The RNLI volunteers were able to pump the water from the boat and a local fisherman used his tractor to pull it above the high-water mark.
Neither of the men were injured during the incident.
Earlier in the day the inshore lifeboat had been tasked to a small rigid inflatable boat (RIB) which had broken down near Redcar. A local fishing had started to tow the RIB towards the shore and the lifeboat was able to beach the RIB at Redcar.
Saturday 13 July was the town’s annual Lifeboat Day. £2086 was raised on the day, with fundraising being interrupted twice by emergency calls.
The first call was at lunchtime to a broken down personal watercraft, which was towed to safety at Redcar. The second call came at 3.45pm to a fishing boat that had broken down with six people on board. The disabled craft was towed towards Hartlepool where the RNLI inshore lifeboat from there took over the tow.
Dave Cocks, Lifeboat Operations Manager at Redcar RNLI, said: ‘It’s been a busy few days for our volunteers. As a charity we depend entirely on the support of the public for the funds we need to do our lifesaving work.
‘Everyone who contributed during Lifeboat Day has played their part in the four rescues we’ve carried out in the last four days and I’d like to say “thank you” to them all for their donations.’
Ends
Notes to editors:
Attached is a mobile phone image of the swamped speed boat. Credit RNLI/Dave Cocks
Redcar lifeboat station has been operating since 1802
Redcar currently operates a B-class lifeboat named Leicester Challenge III, paid for by the people of Leicester, and an IB1-class lifeboat named Eileen May Loach-Thomas, paid from the legacy of the late Mr Nick Thomas of Shropshire
For more news, information and images go to www.redcarlifeboat.org.uk. Find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/redcarrnli and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RedcarRNLI
Any images used should be credited RNLI/Redcar unless indicated
RNLI media contacts:
For more information please contact Dave Cocks, RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager on 07894 558 483. Alternatively, contact Clare Hopps, RNLI Press Officer, North 07824 518641 or at [email protected], or contact RNLI Public Relations on 01202 336789; [email protected]
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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