Drifting inflatable prompts callout for RNLI Troon lifeboats
Drifting inflatable prompts callout for RNLI Troon lifeboats
Lifeboats News Release
At 11.54am on Friday 28 June 2019, Belfast Coastguard paged the lifeboat crew following reports of an inflatable drifting out to sea at South Beach, Troon.
RNLI/TroonLifeboat
Troon RNLI inshore lifeboat crewmember recovers the inflatable
D class inshore lifeboat Sheena and Trent class all-weather lifeboat
RNLB Jim Moffat were launched to the scene to assist the Ayr Coastguard Rescue Team.
While heading to the scene, a white object in the distance towards Lady Isle. The inshore lifeboat headed to this object and established it to be a large inflatable unicorn with no persons on board. At this point the inflatable was 1.5 nautical miles from the shore.
Due to this a search was undertaken from South Beach to Lady Isle as there were concerns that someone may be in the water in difficulty. On the beach the Coastguard team tracked down the original reporter who notified the Coastguard for further information and tried to locate the inflatables owner on the busy beach.
Thankfully the owner of the inflatable was located on the beach by the Coastguard Team and confirmed that no-one was on board and that the inflatable had been empty.
With this information the lifeboats returned to station where they were made ‘ready for service’ with assistance of the shore crew.
Vincent McWhirter, Community Safety Officer for Troon RNLI Lifeboat said 'Inflatable toys are not suitable for use at the beach and we would urge people not to take them to the beach. These toys are more suitable for the pool as they are easily blown by the wind and can quickly move offshore.
'If you do choose to take them to the beach, these toys should be securely tied to the shore, and they should not be used when the wind is blowing away from the beach.
'If you spot an inflatable drifting at sea, or one you are using gets blown away, you should report it to the Coastguard on 999, giving as much information as possible.'
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.
