
Whitstable RNLI assists Yacht
A yacht which had requested assistance after the vessels navigation equipment failed was escorted to safer waters by the Whitstable RNLI lifeboat on Saturday afternoon.
A crewmember was placed onboard the casualty vessel and it was agreed with the single occupant that the lifeboat would escort the 30-foot craft to the East Margate Buoy from where the vessel could continue unassisted on its passage to Ramsgate.
Commenting on the incident lifeboat Helmsman Dave Parry said “Whilst the vast majority of vessels now use electronic chart systems, they can sometimes go wrong or the electrical supply can fail so it is still a good idea to carry paper charts as a back up. It is not great to be in an unfamiliar area with sandbanks and other hazards ahead without knowing precisely where you are”.
This was the 15th call of the yard for the volunteer crews at Whitstable RNLI.
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.
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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.