North Berwick RNLI rescue kayak with four people on board

The lifeboat was quickly on its way to the casualties who described their position relative to the island chain off the coast. Locating the casualty vessel 8 minutes after launch the crew brought the casualties on board.

The four casualties (two adults and two children) were assessed before being taken back to shore and handed in to the care of North Berwick Coastguard Rescue Team. As they were wearing wetsuits, buoyancy aids and had two waterproofed means of calling for help they were well equipped, however had been caught out by the conditions.

Crew member Tom Kerley said: “Setting off in the lee of the land, it wasn’t until the casualties rounded Fidra Island that they were exposed to the rougher conditions.”

“The conditions meant they were unable to safely make it back to shore without the risk of being swamped or capsized by the larger waves. They did the right thing by calling the coastguard and describing their position so that we could locate them.”

Conditions offshore can be very different to the relatively sheltered inshore water, and can change quickly.

Always:
-wear a personal flotation device appropriate to your water sport
-carry a waterproofed means of calling for help on your person
-Check the weather forecast and assess the conditions at your launch site, but also along your planned route.

In any coastal emergency dial 999 for the Coastguard.

Notes to editors

• In 2023 RNLI lifeboats from 238 stations across the UK and RoI launched 9,192 times saving 355 lives, RNLI Lifeguards saved a further 151 lives, North Berwick launched 21 times.
• It cost £1,450 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 2023 it cost the RNLI £191.2M 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.

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.