
Two Calls for Whitstable RNLI
There have been two calls on the volunteer crews at Whitstable RNLI in the last week.
The lifeboat arrived at the scene to find the casualty attempting to swim ashore with his rig ½-mile offshore in the Easterly force 2 winds.
The casualty and rig were taken ashore to the beach where the Herne Bay Coastguard Rescue Team were waiting to assist.
On Thursday afternoon Lewisco was launched just after 3.00pm when it was tasked by Dover Coastguard to a report of a small inflatable with one person onboard struggling to regain the shore in South Westerly force 4 winds off Leysdown, Isle of Sheppey.
On arrival at the scene the lifeboat crew located the dinghy ashore near to Sheppey Beach Villas having been towed to the beach by a kayaker and having established the adult male adult occupant was safe the lifeboat therefore returned to station.
The advice from Whitstable RNLI is with the holiday season upon us and people heading for the beaches we cannot stress enough the dangers people need to be aware off when venturing on or into the water.
Thursday’s incident with an inflatable again highlights the risks involved in using such craft be they dinghies, beach toys or paddleboards. Offshore breezes and ebb tides can rapidly see people get into difficulties and everybody should always be aware of the prevailing weather conditions, have someone onshore aware of their activity, wear buoyancy aids and have some form of calling for assistance should they find themselves in difficulty .
Notes to editors
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Whitstable RNLI Lifeboat Station was established in 1963 by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and is one of 237 lifeboat stations around the shores of the UK and Ireland. The volunteer crews provide a maritime search and rescue service for the Kent coast. They cover the area between the Kingsferry Bridge on the Swale, in the west, around the south-eastern side of Sheppey and along the coast through Whitstable and Herne Bay to Reculver in the east and outwards into the Thames Estuary.
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The station is equipped with an Atlantic 85 lifeboat named Lewisco, purchased through a bequest of a Miss Lewis of London who passed away in 2006.
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She is what is known as a rigid inflatable inshore lifeboat, the boat’s rigid hull being topped by an inflatable sponson. She carries a crew of four people.
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RNLI media contacts
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Chris Davey, Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer, Whitstable Lifeboat Station.
07741 012004/ [email protected] -
Julie Rainey - Regional Communications Lead : 07827 358256
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Hatti Mellor - Regional Communications Manager :07724 801305
For enquiries outside normal business hours, contact the RNLI duty press officer 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.
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.