Sheerness RNLI Lifeboats launched three times over the Easter weekend.
Both the Sheerness lifeboats have been called out to separate incidents over the three days of the Easter Bank Holiday.
The volunteer crew of the Sheerness inshore lifeboat ‘Buster’ were paged at 9.17pm on Friday 15 April after a call from the UK Coastguard reported that a jet skier was overdue in returning to the landing at the Sheppey Crossing.
Having launched with a crew of three at 9.35pm the lifeboat was on scene at 9.53pm and was released immediately as the casualty was now reported as being safely ashore with no assistance required. The lifeboat returned to station and was ready for service again at10.35pm.Wind E force 2 with calm seas and good visibility
The inshore lifeboat crew were tasked again at 1.50pm on Saturday 16 April to reports of a father and son in trouble onboard a small inflatable dinghy that had punctured a sponson and was aground on Hoo Island in the River Medway.
The lifeboat located the casualty at 2.15pm and after leaving a crew member with the dinghy both father and son were taken onboard the lifeboat and transferred to safety at Hoo Marina, where they were landed at 2.45pm. Having dropped off the two people the lifeboat returned to Hoo Island to take the dinghy under tow and to pick up the crew member, who whilst waiting had removed the outboard and made the tiny craft safe for towing. The ILB was back on station and ready for service at 4.02pm. Wind E. force 3-4 with moderate seas and fair visibility.
The final call of the weekend involved the volunteer crew of the Sheerness RNLI all-weather lifeboat ‘Judith Copping Joyce’ which was tasked at 11.49am, whilst at sea on exercise, to reports of a 44 foot motor cruiser with four people onboard that was taking on water out in the Thames Estuary.
The casualty was located at 12.10pm and after the lifeboat salvage pump was deployed into the crafts engine room the vessel was then taken under tow to Queenborough Harbour where it was safely secured at 1.45pm. The lifeboat returned to station and was ready for service again at 2.40pm.
Later information reported that the cruisers water inlet pipe had ruptured and flooded the engine room resulting in engine and battery failure.
Wind SE3 with calm seas.
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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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