Whitstable RNLI assist Yachts
Two yachts have been assisted by the Whitstable RNLI Lifeboat over the Bank Holiday weekend.
The lifeboat arrived at the scene and located the casualty vessel on the Faversham Spit. The lifeboat crew passed a towline to the craft which was then towed off the bank into deeper water. The tow was then transferred to a tug which took the yacht to the Iron Wharf Boatyard in Faversham with the lifeboat acting as an escort in case the yachts anchor which, was suspended from the propeller became snagged.
On Sunday night the lifeboat was tasked by Dover Coastguard and launched at 11.32pm following a 'Mayday' call from a 26-foot yacht with 2 persons onboard going aground on rocks at Hampton, Herne Bay.
The lifeboat arrived at the scene and the crew located the craft now 400 yards West of Hampton pier having drifted away from the rocks.. A lifeboat crewmember went onboard the casualty which was then taken under tow to Whitstable Harbour where the Herne Bay Coastguard Rescue Team and a shore crew from the lifeboat station assisted in berthing the craft alongside in the harbour.
The lifeboat was also launched on Friday (26th ) to a report of a capsized dinghy off Bishopstone, Herne Bay but on arrival at the scene the crew located a small fishing vessel with one person onboard and not in need of assistance. The lifeboat therefore returned to station with the call being put down as a false alarm with good intent.
There have now been 29 calls on the Whitstable Lifeboat so far this year.
Notes to editors
Whitstable RNLI Lifeboat Station was established in 1963 by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and is one of 237 lifeboat stations around the shores of the UK and Ireland. The volunteer crews provide a maritime search and rescue service for the Kent coast. They cover the area between the Kingsferry Bridge on the Swale, in the west, around the south-eastern side of Sheppey and along the coast through Whitstable and Herne Bay to Reculver in the east and outwards into the Thames Estuary.
The station is equipped with an Atlantic 85 lifeboat named Lewisco, purchased through a bequest of a Miss Lewis of London who passed away in 2006.
She is what is known as a rigid inflatable inshore lifeboat, the boat’s rigid hull being topped by an inflatable sponson. She carries a crew of four people.
RNLI media contacts
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Chris Davey, Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer, Whitstable Lifeboat Station.
07741 012004/ [email protected]
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Paul Dunt RNLI Press Officer London/southeast/east Tel: 0207 6207416 Mob: (07785) 296252 [email protected]
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For enquiries outside normal business hours, contact the RNLI duty press officer on 01202 336789
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.
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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.