
Second shout within a week sees Yarmouth and Lymington RNLI tasked together.
Following a two unit shout last Saturday, both RNLI lifeboats from Yarmouth and Lymington joined forces once again when tasked to an aground yacht on the Shingles Bank.
On Thursday 6 June, Yarmouth’s all-weather Severn Class Lifeboat ’17-25 Wanderer’ was tasked by HM Coastguard shortly after 3pm to the reports of a 34-foot sailing yacht which had found itself aground on the Shingles Bank between Hurst Castle and the Needles Lighthouse whilst on passage from Portsmouth to Poole.
The volunteer crew from Lymington Lifeboat arrived quickly on scene in their Atlantic 85 B-882 ‘David Bradley’, where one of the crew boarded the casualty vessel for initial checks for damage and casualty care.
It was decided that due to the worsening sea conditions in the westerly gusts, it was agreed that the safest option would be to transfer the two persons onboard onto Lymington Lifeboat, where they would be taken back to Lymington and wait for the tide to rise before attempting recovery of the yacht.
Yarmouth Lifeboat stood by, and then arrived on scene at 4:55pm when the tide had risen enough that the casualty vessel had started to re-float, however it was determined that where the rudder had taken significant damage, that both RNLI lifeboats would attend the scene as Lymington’s inshore lifeboat was better suited in the more shallow water to get close to the vessel, and Yarmouth’s all-weather Lifeboat was better suited for towing the vessel due to its powerful twin MTU engines.
Teamwork, and the RNLI's 'One Crew' mission was exceptionally prominent during this part of the shout, as it was at this point that a crew members worked closely together, and were put onboard the casualty vessel to clear lines fallen lines in the water and prepare new lines to establish the main tow to Yarmouth Lifeboat as the casualty vessel re-floats in the rising tide.
Both lifeboats then escorted the vessel together to Lymington Harbour where it was then reunited with its owners.
Crew members onboard 17-25 waved the Lymington RNLI crew goodbye and returned to station back in Yarmouth. After the post recovery checks, Yarmouth RNLI was marked as ready for service at 6.55pm.
Notes to editors
- Photos attach include scenes from the shout taken when entering Lymington Harbour by a member of Lymington’s Launch Authority crew and Deputy Press Officer.
- Yarmouth RNLI Lifeboat 17-25 Eric and Susan Hiscock ‘Wanderer’ came into service in 2001, prior to that Yarmouth RNLI had an Arun Class Lifeboat 52-08 Joy and John Wade which was in service for 23 years.
- As well as 2024 being the year the RNLI celebrates its 200th year, it will also be Yarmouth Station's 100th year in service, as well as several other notable anniversaries including 140th anniversary of the original RNLI flag design, the 50th anniversary of the RNLI moving to the support Centre in Poole, the 40th anniversary of Storm Force membership and the 20th anniversary of opening the RNLI College in Poole.
- If you’re struggling in the water this summer, floating could save your life. Remember it. Share it. #FloatToLive
● Hebe Gregory, Yarmouth RNLI Lifeboat Press Officer [email protected]
● Hatti Mellor, Regional Communications Manager (South East & London) [email protected]
● Julie Rainey, Regional Communications Lead (South East) [email protected]
For enquiries outside normal business hours, contact the RNLI duty press officer on 01202 336789
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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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