Poole lifeboat launched to search for kayakers in Poole Harbour
Poole’s D Class had arrived back at the station after being out on exercise when UK Coastguard tasked the crew to launch in earnest at 20.45pm Monday (July 29) having received a 999 call from two people out in the harbour.
The Coastguard received the emergency call from the two people, who had been out on their kayaks. They had set off earlier from Whitley Lake at Sandbanks and were struggling against the wind and tide to get back, they reported that they were somewhere between Salterns and Brownsea Island.
The lifeboat made their way down the Middle channel, with the intention of conducting a search, when information came through from a passing vessel that the kayaks had been sighted off No 21 buoy which is just further along from Aunt Betty Buoy.
The lifeboat crew located the kayaks and checked that the two people were okay, they transferred them onto the D class and administered casualty care. The casualties were quite cold, the south easterly wind had picked up and as the light faded the temperature had dropped.
The lifeboat crew made the casualties comfortable and warmed them up, they also attached a towline to the kayaks and then proceeded back to Whitely Lake, where Poole Coastguards were on scene.
Poole Coastguards had located the casualties relative who was waiting ashore, they then guided the lifeboat back, to meet up. The casualties and kayaks were landed safely, so the lifeboat returned back to station and was made ready for service by 22.15pm.
Volunteer Helm Suzie Jupp said;
‘ We would always urge anyone going out on the water to check the weather, the tide and conditions, with that information, make sure you have the correct equipment and means for keeping safe and calling for help. We were really fortunate to receive the confirmed location of the casualties, as the nights are drawing in fast. This evening was cloudy so visibility deteriorated quite quickly, it was good to find them, as it could have been a very different outcome’.
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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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