Te crew was called to assist a lone sailor who had fallen overboard from his vessel within Burnham moorings where fortunately he was rescued by a work boat that had come to his aid from Essex Marina.
Burnham-on-Crouch RNLI volunteer crew were tasked to retrieve the runaway vessel which they located on the south shore opposite the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club, wedged within one of the sea wall breaches.
Meanwhile the casualty was being treated ashore by the ambulance service at the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club who themselves assisted the casualty with the use of their shower facilities to warm him up after his ordeal.
With a falling tide and the wind pushing the casualty vessel further in, the RNLI volunteers gently nudged their way through despite there being very little water beneath them and placed a crew member onboard to set up a tow, turned the casualty vessel around and withdrew as quickly as possible to avoid the possibility of grounding themselves.
The casualty vessel was successfully towed into Burnham Yacht Harbour
RNLI Media contacts
For more information please contact Peter Harris, RNLI Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer on: 07802 418298 or email:
Peter_Harris@rnli.org.uk
where the RNLI volunteers made it safe for the owners return.
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 over 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and, in a normal year, 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 142,700 lives.