Whitstable RNLI lifeboat assists Angling Dory

Saturday 5 December 2020

The Whitstable Atlantic 85 RNLI lifeboat Lewisco was launched at 6.00 am on Saturday following a report from the UK Coastguard of a broken down angling boat off Herne Bay.

Two members of the Whitstable lifeboat crew 'walk' the broken down angling dory and it's three occupants ashore to be met by members of the Herne Bay Coastguard Rescue Team at Herne Bay on Saturday morning.

Whitstable lifeboat helmsman Andy Williams said “We located the casualty vessel, a 16-foot dory with three persons onboard drifting 6 nautical miles north east of Herne Bay harbour”.

“In accordance with Covid precautions we asked the occupants of the vessel to remain in their cabin whilst we attached a tow line and then took the craft to Herne Bay”.

“Due to the low tide we could only get to approximately 500-yards off shore so two members of the lifeboat crew entered the water and proceeded to walk the vessel towards the beach and were met by two members of the coastguard team who waded out to assist. They then took over recovery of the dory and were met at the outer ramp of the Neptune Jetty by the remaining members of the Herne Bay Coastguard Rescue Team”.

The Whitstable lifeboat then returned to station having completed the 62^nd call of the year. The angling dory had suffered engine problems and the three male occupants did not require any medical attention.

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

Two members of the Whitstable lifeboat crew make their way back to the waiting lifeboat after 'walking'' the broken down angling dory and it's three occupants ashore on Saturday morning.

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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Whitstable RNLI lifeboat assists Angling Dory

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