Aberdeen lifeboats investigate dinghy adrift in River Dee
Aberdeen lifeboats investigate dinghy adrift in River Dee
Lifeboats News Release
Aberdeen’s lifeboats were launched at 11am today (Wednesday 4 November) when HM Coastguard received calls expressing concern about an upturned kayak or dinghy in the River Dee just upstream of the Wellington Suspension Bridge.
RNLI/Stuart Gibb
Aberdeen's inshore lifeboat Buoy Woody 85N brings the Topper sailing dinghy alongside, prior to setting up a tow to the lifeboat station
RNLI Aberdeen Lifeboat coxswain Davie Orr said: “This area is not easy to access from the shore, so the fastest way to investigate was to send the inshore lifeboat.”
The inshore lifeboat ‘Buoy Woody 85N’ sped to the location with her volunteer crew of three, while the larger all-weather lifeboat ‘Bon Accord’ and her crew of six searched the harbour in case the small craft’s occupants had fallen overboard and been swept downstream.
Arriving on scene, the inshore lifeboat crew found a Topper sailing dinghy in a poor state of repair, without mast, centreboard or rudder. There was no sign that anyone had been with the craft and, indeed, every indication that it might have been abandoned or washed downstream in recent floods.
After a full search to ensure there was no-one in the water, the dinghy was towed to the lifeboat station and handed to HM Coastguard. The lifeboats were washed down, refuelled and readied for service around 1230pm.
Davie Orr continued: “It is important that people phone Coastguard by dialling 999 if they see anything that could indicate someone in trouble in the water – and a boat adrift or upturned would certainly be such an indication.”
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.
