Lymington RNLI rescue 4 people cut off by the tide.
Yesterday (6 September) the Lymington voluntary crew were tasked by HM Coastguard to reports of four people cut off by the tide, east of Freshwater on the Isle of Wight
At 12.49pm the lifeboat launched its inshore lifeboat B-882 David Bradley and proceeded at best speed to the position given.
The lifeboat quickly located the casualties in a cove just east of Freshwater. With a heavy swell in the cove, landing the lifeboat was not an option so two lifeboat crew members swam to shore and carried out an initial casualty care assessments. One of the casualties had a suspected broken ankle. It was decided that a helicopter evacuation was the safest option so Recuse 175 was tasked and winched the injured casualty and another person. They landed on the cliff top and passed the casualties into the care of the ambulance service. The remaining two casualties were evacuated using Yarmouth lifeboats Y-boat, then on to Lymington lifeboat for extraction.
The helm Declan said 'This was a tricky technical shout with some surprisingly challenging conditions to deal with. The crew's training kicked in and they did a brilliant and professional job. Paddle boards are very easily affected by winds and tides and I would urge anyone using them to consider the conditions before going to sea. Also have at least one means of calling for help and appropriate buoyancy aids or life jackets. Should you find yourself in difficulty call 999 and ask for the Coast Guard or use VHF Channel 16.'
The lifeboat returned the station at 5pm and was prepared ready for service again.
Lifeboat crew: Declan Oriordan, Gunner Christensen, Rob Merrix, Ben Jefferies.
Agencies involved: Yarmouth RNLI Lifeboat, Rescue 175, Ventnor CRT, Ambulance Service.
Launches like this to assist those in difficulty at sea can only be made possible due to donations made generously by the public. The RNLI remains an independent charity, where these donations are what help them continue their lifesaving work.
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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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