A busy week for Swanage lifeboats
Swanage lifeboats have launched three times in the last week to assist people in trouble on, or close to, the water.
The volunteer ILB crew set up a tow and brought the vessel back to Swanage Bay where a spare kill-cord was collected to enable the casualty to continue their passage home.
Three days later the Swanage all-weather lifeboat (ALB) was launched to a small fishing boat with two people onboard who had requested assistance from Durlston Bay. Their outboard engine had failed, and they had anchored to stop themselves drifting towards the cliffs. The vessel was quickly found within 5 minutes of launching. The fishing vessel's engine had seized and was unable to be fixed at sea so it was towed to Poole where repairs could be carried out.
On Friday 22 May the Swanage volunteer lifeboat crew were paged for the third time in a week. The ILB was launched at lunchtime to investigate reports of two paddleboarders appearing in difficulty in Swanage Bay. A strong offshore wind was blowing, and the young paddleboarders were unable to return to shore and were quickly being blown to deep, open water. The ILB quickly found the two casualties and recovered them and their boards to the lifeboat so that they could be returned to shore to their waiting family.
Swanage inshore lifeboat helm, Becky Mack said: ‘This flurry of rescues has led to our volunteers spending over four hours at sea in less than a week. This is before we even reach the busy bank holiday weekend. Thankfully everyone was recovered safe and well.’
Due to Covid-19 the volunteer lifeboat crew are following new safety procedures at sea and at the lifeboat station to help protect the crew, and those they come into close proximity with during rescues. This enables the volunteers to continue their lifesaving work as safely as possible.
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and Her Majesty’s (HM) Coastguard have just launched a new beach safety campaign.
Following the recent easing of nationwide lockdown restrictions in England and with children still off school, many more people are expected to visit the coast to exercise and take part in water-based activities.
Whilst RNLI lifeboat crews and HM Coastguard are still on call ready to respond to emergencies, the message is clear; we need the public to be aware of dangers, take responsibility for themselves and their loved ones and remember that, in an emergency, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.
https://rnli.org/safety/beach-safety
Notes to Editors
- Photograph of the Swanage inshore lifeboat being recovered after a rescue. Credit Steve Williams
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