RNLI New Brighton aids jet ski stranded in channel
RNLI lifeboat volunteers were tasked by UK Coastguard at 5.15pm on Sunday 2 June, to a jet ski with engine trouble in the channel between Fort Perch Rock and Seaforth Docks. After early assistance from Wallasey Yacht Club, RNLI New Brighton crew brought both jet skier and craft safely to shore.
After Wallasey Yacht Club members used their rigid-inflatable boat to help the jet skier away from nearby rocks at Crosby Tower, RNLI lifeboat crew arrived on scene to a stationary jet ski with loss of power and an uninjured rider onboard in the main shipping channel between New Brighton’s Fort Perch Rock and Seaforth Docks.
The RNLI volunteers assisted the jet skier onto the RNLI lifeboat and put his water craft under tow to be brought ashore at New Brighton beach.
‘This rescue reinforces how crucial to have a means of calling for help when in or on the water,’ said RNLI Helm Dan Wardle. ‘Any vessel stranded on a potentially busy waterway is vulnerable but also at risk from the effects of cold water, currents, tides and exhaustion.
'In this case, the casualty was able to use his mobile to alert the Coastguard to the difficulty he was in. He was also wearing a buoyancy aid which offered further protection should he have found himself in the water.’
After being rescued, the jet skier called into RNLI New Brighton and made a £20 donation.
Dan added: ‘We’d like to thank the casualty for his donation. We don’t expect those we rescue to pay for our service but as a volunteer-run lifeboat station that is part of a lifesaving charity, we always appreciate these gestures and are truly grateful for them.’
The RNLI lifeboat returned to the boathouse at 6pm and was prepared for service.
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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