RNLI Wells lifeboat rescues woman and dog from the incoming tide
RNLI Wells inshore lifeboat was tasked by HM Coastguard at 1.33pm on 7 September to assist a woman and her dog, cut off from the incoming tide opposite the west end of the beach huts on Wells Beach.
The volunteer crew launched the D Class lifeboat outside the lifeboat house at 1.43pm. They proceeded out of Wells Harbour to the west, where the casualty and her dog were located, stranded on a sand bar and surrounded by the incoming tide.
At 1.50pm the woman and her dog were taken from the sand bar into the lifeboat and transported back to the safety of the beach outside the lifeboat station. The casualty was uninjured and needed no further help, so continued to walk with her dog on the safety of the main beach.
At 2.05pm the inshore lifeboat was recovered, rehoused, refuelled and ready for service at 2.20pm.
Deputy Launching Authority, Greg Hewitt, said, ‘we are pleased that today’s rescue was straight forward and all was well, but to avoid getting caught out by the tide, people must check the tide times before setting out along the coast. It is essential to be back on the main part of the beach, where the sand is dry and soft, at least four hours before high tide to prevent being cut off.
‘Now that the lifeguards have finished for the summer, there is no longer their assistance, or the availability of the all-weather terrain vehicle to help the lifeguards warn people of the risks of the incoming tide, so walkers need to be vigilant.’
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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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