Disrupted Friday night and Saturday for Lymington RNLI Lifeboat crews

The first call early on Saturday *22 June) morning, saw the crew give assistance to a 6.5m RIB with 7 persons onboard that had suffered a mechanical breakdown just to the east of the Lymington River. Vessel was secured in an alongside tow and taken into the Yacht Haven marina with the lifeboat being recovered and readied for further service just before 2 a.m.

The second call at just after 6 a.m. on Saturday 22 June was to assist Hampshire Constabulary with a Solent shore line search with particular emphasis on a miscreant who had made his escape in a stolen canoe.

Against a backdrop of a low rising early morning sun, one canoeist seen albeit he was not initially thought to be the miscreant from the description given. In practice his later actions confirmed that he was the person of interest and with the lifeboat operating to seaward ushering him to safety, he paddled ashore without RNLI intervention to be arrested.

Lymington lifeboat returned to station and was readied for further service shortly after 7.30am.

The final shout of the weekend came at 10.30pm on Saturday night and saw the crew launching to reports of an apparently unmanned open day boat observed as being secured to the North Head Navigational Buoy off the Milford on Sea Beach at the western entrance to the Solent.

Making quick passage in calm seas, the crew arrived to find no sign of recent habitation and with shoreside authorities now believing the craft to have been stolen earlier in the week, the lifeboat was stood down returning to station shortly after midnight.

Notice to Editors:

· For over 50 years, Lymington RNLI Lifeboat has provided search, rescue and lifesaving capability in the western Solent, Needles Channel and eastern sector of Christchurch Bay.

· Relief Fleet Atlantic 85 lifeboat B-883 Roy Snewin is currently on station whilst our own boat B-882 David Bradley is away for its five year refit.

· The Lymington RNLI Lifeboat Station open days will be on: Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 August 2019 coinciding with the Lymington Sea Food festival being held on the adjacent Bath Road Park.

RNLI Media Contacts:

• Peter Mills, Lymington RNLI Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer 07767 213583 [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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Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

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