A busy weekend sees Eastbourne RNLI respond for the 100th time this year.
Eastbourne RNLI have had six call outs this weekend. The first call on the morning of Saturday 21 August was to assist local coastguards with an incident east of Belle Tout lighthouse at 1135am. The Inshore Lifeboat was launched. No further details will follow for the first shout.
The second was to reports of an out-of-control jet ski. After the riders fell off near Norman’s Bay, the inshore lifeboat was launched and when it arrived on scene, one of the volunteer crew was able to get on board the jet ski, bringing it under control before returning it shore. This shout was the 100th time that Eastbourne RNLI have responded to a call out in 2021.
Both boats were then requested to launch by the coastguard to reports of people in the water near Bexhill at 6.30pm. Upon arrival at the scene, the crew assisted a family on a day trip who had ended up in the water when their boat capsized. Once it was confirmed there were no more casualties in the water, the volunteer crew righted the capsized vessel and towed it back to Eastbourne. Shortly after returning, the crew were paged once again to investigate a life ring floating in the water near the beach. After a thorough check of the area, the crew were stood down.
The crew were then paged again on Sunday 22 August at 2.30pm to assist local coastguards and paramedics with a medical incident involving a diver. They escorted the dive boat back to Sovereign Harbour where they were met by paramedics and the air ambulance who transferred the diver to hospital to get further treatment.
'I am extremely proud of the crew for all of their hard work this weekend, responding to multiple call outs and giving up their own time to help others.' Carl Pocock, Lifeboat Operations Manager for Eastbourne, said afterwards
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.