The Night When Santa Suffered a Splash Down
At Cowes Lifeboat Station - gone was any light-hearted banter Something quite terrible had befallen Santa While seeking to bring children some Christmas glee His sleigh and trustee reindeer had crashed into the sea
The station’s personnel were urgently tasked to help out
And Anne Simkin took the helm for this extraordinary shout
Within minutes the Atlantic 85 was cutting through the dark
Once more the crews’ know-how was well up to the mark
‘There it is!’ eventually shouted an excited Chris Adams
Santa and the presents - close to sinking down fathoms
First the bearded old man was hauled onto the lifeboat
Then there were the hapless reindeer, still just barely afloat
Finally, the sleigh and its many gifts were taken in tow
Back to the land the rescuers and rescued did steadily go
In good time Santa and his reindeer were fully restored
A return to Christmas duties could no longer be ignored
But it was thanks to the RNLI that Santa was now on his way
Their veritable Cowes station had clearly saved the day!
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.
Learn more about the RNLI
For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, X, TikTok and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.
Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries
Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.