Volunteers race to rescue two from dinghy blown over a mile out to sea
Skegness RNLI, D class inshore lifeboat was launched on Saturday 8 June to reports of an inflatable dinghy being blown out to sea with two people on board; one and a half miles out to see from the coast at Chapel St Leonards, north of Skegness.
The four-meter inflatable dinghy was located drifting north east out to sea on a stiff south-westerly wind, some mile and a half from the shore, its occupants were unaware of the danger they were in or the difficulty they would have trying to reach the shore. The pair had been out testing out their new boat.
Lee St Quinton, RNLI Helmsman for Skegness RNLI Lifeboat, said: ‘On this occasion the gentlemen were very lucky that someone had alerted us to their plight, inflatable boats and dinghies are not suitable for the open sea and should not be used where situations like this can evolve. In this case the people involved were not prepared for emergencies, there were no life jackets and no method of alerting anyone for help save for mobile phones which are not reliable out to sea.’
The two occupants of the inflatable were assessed to make sure they were in good health and transferred in to the lifeboat, eventually being brought back to the shore and handed to the care of local coastguard officers.
Notes to editors
· Skegness lifeboat station has been operating since 1839.
· Helmsman Lee St Quinton is available for interview
· Video footage of rescue will be available separately
RNLI media contacts
For more information please telephone Adam Holmes, RNLI volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer on 07966282294 or [email protected] or Clare Hopps, Regional Media Officer on 09876 234561 or [email protected] or contact the RNLI Press Office on 01202 336789.
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.