Littlehampton RNLI assists jetski and yacht on busy Saturday

Their first call came at 2.59pm when the crew were called into action to help a jetski with a man and 10-year-old boy on board that had broken down near the entrance to Littlehampton Harbour. The lifeboat station’s Renee Sherman lifeboat and four-strong crew safely returned the jetski and its passengers to Littlehampton Yacht Club.

Paul Caldecott, Deputy Launching Authority at Littlehampton RNLI, said: ‘From the crew being paged to arrival at the scene, it took only 12 minutes. The youngster was slightly cold and was taken on board Renee Sherman, but did not need any medical attention.’

Just three hours later, at 6.14pm, Littlehampton RNLI was tasked by HM Coastguard to help a 20-foot yacht with engine problems. The yacht had four passengers and a dog on board and was located one mile from the entrance to Littlehampton Harbour.

The lifeboat station’s D-Class lifeboat Ray of Hope was taken to the RNLI’s Inshore Lifeboat Centre at East Cowes on the Isle of Wight earlier this week for a refit, so Elaine McLeod Scott – Ray of Hope’s temporary replacement from the RNLI’s relief fleet – was launched. The volunteer crew arrived on the scene and took the boat under tow. However, because it was low tide, they had to wait until 8.30pm until they could re-enter the harbour and tow the boat and its occupants to the harbour's visitor moorings.

Caldecott added: ‘It was a busy afternoon for us, but it is an honour to serve our community. We are all volunteers and we are always on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to assist those in need of help.’

ENDS

RNLI media contacts

Beth Brooks, Deputy Lifeboat Press Officer, Littlehampton RNLI 07544 209256 [email protected]

Paul Dunt, Regional Media Officer, London and South East 07785 296252 [email protected]

For enquiries outside normal business hours contact the RNLI duty press officer on 01202 336789

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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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