Paddleboarder and Chihuahua dog rescued by Hartlepool RNLI
Hartlepool RNLI volunteers were paged at 9.27am on Tuesday 1st November by Humber Coastguard to assist a paddleboarder and her Chihuahua dog who were unable to return to the shore near the sandy car park at Seaton Carew due to the strong offshore wind.
The inshore lifeboat 'Solihull' and three volunteer crew launched at 9.40am and were alongside the casualty and her dog a few minutes later.
The paddleboarder and her 2 year old dog 'Remy' who were approximately a quarter of a mile offshore were taken aboard the ILB and returned safely to the beach opposite the sandy car park at Seaton Carew where the local Coastguard team were waiting to assist.
Hartlepool RNLI inshore lifeboat helm Ken Hay said "The paddleboarder who was obviously very cold and a bit shaken by the event did the right thing by ringing the Coastguard and staying with her board. She was very apologetic for having to call us out but we were glad to help and bring the incident to a safe conclusion."
The paddleboarder said "I'm really grateful to the RNLI crew who were amazing and I'd just like to say the biggest thanks to all of them."
The inshore lifeboat returned to the Ferry Road boathouse at 10.10am and was refuelled and made ready for service by 10.30am.
Sea state was slight with a 20 knot offshore wind.
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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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