A lucky escape for two men in a small inflatable
Two men had a lucky escape when the Sheerness RNLI all-weather lifeboat was tasked to look for a dinghy with two people on board and reported drifting somewhere near Southend Pier.
The volunteer crew of the Sheerness all-weather lifeboat ‘Judith Copping Joyce’ were out on exercise on the evening of Wednesday 4 September when they were requested to proceed to the area of Southend Pier after an alarm had been raised that two men in a small inflatable dinghy with no means of propulsion were drifting somewhere in that area.
Making best speed the lifeboat crew spotted the dinghy some way from Southend and in the middle of the busy Sea Reach main shipping channel.
The two men and their dinghy were rapidly taken onboard the lifeboat for their safety and also to clear the channel to alleviate any further problems, following which they were then handed into the care of the Southend lifeboat crew who had also been tasked to look for them.
Sheerness RNLI lifeboat coxswain Paul Jarvis said: ‘these two people were extremely lucky that they were found when they were. It was dark and they had no lights and were right in the middle of the main shipping channel of the Thames where only minutes earlier an outbound ferry, travelling at 14knots, must have narrowly missed them and most definitely would not have seen such a small craft’.
It is not known why the two were out there or where they were going.
The ALB was back on station at 9.20pm.
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 142,700 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.