RNLI Rye Harbour saves a stricken vessel late at night
On Saturday 31 August the pagers alerted the volunteer crew at Rye Harbour to a shout at 10.57 pm. The owners of a 22ft yacht had reported that their engine had failed and that they were unable to use sail power.
The stricken vessel was approximately two miles south-east of the Harbour entrance. Within minutes the lifeboat was launched, Tim Dickinson at the helm and a crew of Matt Ellis, Rob Jennings and Brendan Towner. After assessing the situation it was clear that the boat would ground at low tide so a tow-rope was attached. Once this was secure the lifeboat Hello Herbie II, an Atlantic 85, towed the yacht back to its moorings at Rock Channel.
Paul Bolton, LOM (Lifeboat Operations Manager) commented, ’It was fantastic to see so many of the volunteer crew willing to turn out for a late night shout. They are a dedicated team and all their recent training certainly paid off.’
'It was great to be able to help the well-equipped and competent sailors on the yacht who had had a bit of bad luck with their engine failing so close to home,’ continued helm Tim Dickinson. ‘It reminds us all that accidents can happen to anyone and having the foresight to call for help by ringing 999 and asking for the Coastguard is always the right thing to do. We train and exercise for a multitude of scenarios so my crew were well-prepared to respond to shouts such as this one.’
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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