Harwich RNLI’s volunteers respond to two vessels in trouble within seven hours
The Volunteers of Harwich RNLI were called to launch their inshore lifeboat to assist two vessels within seven hours on Friday 9 September.
The charity’s volunteers first responded to their pagers at 1:38pm after being requested to launch their Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat Tierney, Harvey, and Sonny Reid by the UK Coastguard - for the 70th time of 2022 - after an 11 metre yacht became entangled with a mooring buoy on the River Stour near Wrabness.
Once on scene the volunteers attempted to free the yacht without success. After discussing the options with the five occupants, the occupants decided to stay on-board and wait for low tide, to hopefully free themselves. The lifeboat and crew returned to station, and were ready for service again by 3:30pm.
Friday’s second service came at 8.38pm. The UK Coastguard requested that Harwich RNLI’s volunteers assess reports of a broken down 3.5 metre vessel in the River Orwell, North of Levington Marina.
After arriving on scene and assessing the situation, it was deemed the safest option was to tow the vessel and its single occupant back to The Royal Harwich Yacht Club. Once the casualty vessel was safely secured, the lifeboat and its crew were released to return to station. The lifeboat was refuelled and readied for its next call out by 10:15pm.
Tips on enjoying the coastline safely throughout the year, for all types of activities, are available at: rnli.org.uk
RNLI media contacts
For more information, please contact:
Richard Wigley, RNLI Harwich volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer on 07903424698 or [email protected],
Clare Hopps, Regional Media Officer on 07824518641or [email protected] or contact the RNLI Press Office 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
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