Weekend calls for Whitstable RNLI lifeboat

The lifeboat crew arrived ‘on scene’ retrieved the man from the water and landed him ashore at the lifeboat station after he had told them he was attempting to reach Sheppey from Seasalter.

The casualty who did not require first aid was given safety advice by the coastguard rescue team.

Weather conditions at the time were westerly force 2-3 winds.

During other incidents in the last few days lifeboat crews were ‘paged’ on Thursday afternoon at 1.48pm after a report of a 12-year old child in a kayak being swept out to sea off Hampton, Herne Bay . The lifeboat was ‘stood down’ just after launching when it was confirmed by the UK Coastguard at Dover that the child was now safely ashore.

On Friday afternoon the lifeboat crew members responded to a report of a person in the water off the East Quay of Whitstable harbour however after a short search of the area it was confirmed by the coastguard that the casualty was now ashore and the lifeboat was stood down., however lifeboat crews have warned that it is always advisable to stay away from the area around the harbour entrance due to the strong tidal conditions in the area.

On Sunday the lifeboat was launched at 4.00pm to a report of an inflatable beach toy with three persons onboard in the vicinity of Herne Bay harbour.

The lifeboat crew located the craft alongside the outer wall. One female casualty had been in the water and was now exhausted. With the Herne Bay coastguard rescue team in attendance trio had intended to attempt to climb up rock built wall however, this was deemed risky on the slippery rocks so the three and their inflatable were brought onboard the lifeboat and landed at Neptune Jetty.

The three in their early 20’s had been paddling the inflatable around offshore and ended up on the harbour wall whilst attempting to regain the shore.

There have now been 36 calls on the Whitstable volunteer lifeboat crews so far this year.

Notes to editors

Whitstable RNLI Lifeboat Station was established in 1963 by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and is one of 237 lifeboat stations around the shores of the UK and Ireland. The volunteer crews provide a maritime search and rescue service for the Kent coast. They cover the area between the Kingsferry Bridge on the Swale, in the west, around the south-eastern side of Sheppey and along the coast through Whitstable and Herne Bay to Reculver in the east and outwards into the Thames Estuary.

The station is equipped with an Atlantic 85 lifeboat named Lewisco, purchased through a bequest of a Miss Lewis of London who passed away in 2006.

She is what is known as a rigid inflatable inshore lifeboat, the boat’s rigid hull being topped by an inflatable sponson. She carries a crew of four people.

RNLI media contacts

• Chris Davey, Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer, Whitstable Lifeboat Station.
  07741 012004/ [email protected]

• Paul Dunt RNLI Press Officer London/southeast/east Tel: 0207 6207416 Mob: (07785) 296252 [email protected]

For enquiries outside normal business hours, contact the RNLI duty press officer 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.

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