Eastbourne volunteer RNLI Lifeboat responds to Mayday call
At 12.45pm on Saturday 12 June Eastbourne RNLI were paged to assist a 36ft Motor cruiser with two people on board that had started taking on water five miles south east of Sovereign Harbour and had issued a Mayday call.
Upon arriving at the motor cruiser coxswain Mark Sawyer made the decision to transfer two volunteer RNLI crew members, Alex Emberley and Dave Needham onto the motor cruiser along with the lifeboat salvage pump. Due to the amount of water on board the motor cruiser the salvage pump was put into use straight away and an assessment of the situation was made.
Once the water was pumped out and it was confirmed no more water was being taken in while the engine was off, the decision was made to tow the motor cruiser to Sovereign using the RNLI Lifeboat with the two RNLI crew and the salvage pump still on board the motor cruiser.
Due to the prompt and efficient actions of the motor cruiser's skipper, Solent Coastguard were able to coordinate a quick response to the situation.
RNLI Coxswain Mark Sawyer would like to thank all the other vessels in the area that responded to the Mayday call and stood by until the lifeboat arrived on scene:
'The skipper of the motor cruiser did exactly the right thing by calling HM Coastguard as soon as they knew they were in difficultly. It meant we were able to start pumping at the earliest opportunity - saving the vessel, but more importantly making sure those on board were safe'.
Media Contacts:
Daniel Baldock, Eastbourne RNLI Lifeboat Press Officer (07895) 369688 [email protected] [email protected]
Craig Robinson, Eastbourne RNLI Deputy Lifeboat Press Officer (07956) 638924 [email protected]
Paul Dunt, RNLI Regional Media Officer London London and South East (07785) 296252 [email protected]
RNLI online: For more information on the RNLI please visit http://www.rnli.org/. News releases and other media resources, including RSS feeds, downloadable photos and video, are available at the RNLI News Centre.
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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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