As the school summer holidays begin, volunteer crew members at North Berwick RNLI have responded to their pagers four times since Sunday (02 July).
The volunteer crew were alerted at 5.19pm on Sunday (2 July) to reports of a capsized kayaker of Seacliff beach, however the lifeboat was stood down prior to launch as the casualty self rescued.
On Monday (3 July) the crew were alerted at 2.21pm to a vessel that had broken free of its moorings in strong westerly winds and was aground on the rocks near the harbour in North Berwick. The volunteer crew launched D Class lifeboat,
Evelyn M, to find that the vessel had been swamped by waves, had capsized and partially sunk.
The lifeboat stood by whilst crew members on shore worked with North Berwick Coastguard Rescue Team (CRT) to secure lines to the vessel so that it could be recovered by the owner when conditions allowed.
The crew's pagers sounded again on Thursday (6 July) at 4.59pm after the Coastguard were made aware of a vessel which had become tail-tied and subsequently lost its engine off Canty Bay. The lifeboat was stood down en-route to the incident after the vessel was rowed ashore.
On Friday (7 July) morning at 7.36am the lifeboat launched to a vessel adrift off North Berwick which was located by the lifeboat 1.5nm north east of the town with no occupants on board.
Investigations by North Berwick CRT ashore uncovered that it had become adrift from shore with no one on board. The lifeboat returned the vessel back to North Berwick where they were met by the vessels owners and North Berwick CRT.
Ricky Martin, Lifeboat Operations Manager at North Berwick said ‘With the start of the summer, more people are taking to the water, and as a result we are approaching our busiest months of the year.
‘If you’re headed out on the water please check your vessel is seaworthy, check the weather forecast, wear an appropriate personal floatation device and carry a waterproofed means of calling for help, such as a mobile phone in a waterproof pouch.
‘In any coastal emergency, dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard.’
In 2022, it cost the RNLI £188M to run its charitable lifesaving service. North Berwick RNLI will host a fundraising Open Day on Saturday, 29 July, 11am-4pm where the public will be able to get up close with our D Class Inshore Lifeboat,
Evelyn M meet our mascot Stormy Stan with live music and fundraising stalls throughout the day.
Notes to editors
· In 2022 RNLI lifeboats from 238 stations across the UK and RoI launched 9,312 times saving 389 lives, RNLI Lifeguards saved a further 117 lives.
· It cost £1,400 a year to train each crew member in the lifesaving skills they need to answer the call for help
· 97% of the RNLI’s frontline lifesavers are volunteers including over 5,700 lifeboat crew members.
· In 2022 it cost the RNLI £188M to run it’s charitable lifesaving service, 6 in 10 of the lifeboat launches were funded be generous supporters leaving the RNLI a gift in their will.
· Library footage and images of North Berwick RNLI are available on request, please use the contacts below.
RNLI media contacts
Matthew Gibbons, Deputy Lifeboat Press Officer, North Berwick,
[email protected]
Natasha Bennett, RNLI Regional Media Officer for Scotland, 07826 900639,
[email protected]
Martin Macnamara, RNLI Regional Media Manager for Scotland, 07920 365929,
[email protected]
24 hour RNLI Central Press Office, 01202 336789 or email
[email protected]
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.
Learn more about the RNLI
For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.
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.