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Invergordon RNLI shortlisted for Highland Heroes Award

Lifeboats News Release

The volunteer crew at Invergordon RNLI Lifeboat Station has been shortlisted for an award in recognition of their heroic efforts last summer when they rescued two holidaymakers in the Moray Firth.

RNLI

Volunteers at Invergordon RNLI on 1 August 2024 for One Moment, One Crew.

The Highland Heroes Awards celebrates the unsung people and organisations who dedicated themselves to helping others. In this year’s awards, the volunteer crew at Invergordon RNLI has been shortlisted for the Emergency Services category in recognition for their efforts in a rescue last summer.

In June 2024, HM Coastguard requested the Invergordon RNLI volunteer crew to assess the situation of a vessel in difficulty with two persons on board by the Moray Firth’s Rift Bank.

Upon arrival on the scene, the volunteer crew assessed the situation and found the 11m yacht anchored after suffering engine failure in the main north channel. With two persons aboard, they advised they could not raise their recently dropped anchor to stop the drift onto the Rift Bank sand bank.

The lifeboat manoeuvred into a suitable position and the crew assisted in raising the anchor tethered on 30m of rope and chain. After a short while, the anchor was recovered successfully and the situation assessed, the Coxswain made the decision that the safest option was to take the vessel under tow to the safety of the closest marina.

A tow line was established from the all-weather lifeboat to the casualty vessel with assistance from two volunteer crew from flank station Kessock RNLI who arrived on the scene while anchor recovery was undertaken.

Invergordon RNLI lifeboat made steady progress towards Inverness Marina and were met by local HM Coastguard teams who were on hand to assist in securing the yacht alongside the marina pontoons.

Volunteer crew member, Mike MacDonald explains: ‘When our pagers go off, we have no idea what we’re responding to. It could be a missing person, a vessel in distress, or someone in the water. We must be trained to handle every situation calmly and methodically.

‘It’s an honour to be nominated and shortlisted for emergency and crisis services award. Every time we are called out, we entrust our lives to one another with the shared goal of saving or helping those in distress at sea.’

To vote for Invergordon RNLI in the Highland Heroes Awards, visit: https://www.hnmedia.co.uk/highlandheroes/ (Voting closes 10 February 2025)

Notes to editors

· Invergordon RNLI lifeboat station has been operating since 1974. To learn more about the lifeboat station go to: https://rnli.org/find-my-nearest/lifeboat-stations/invergordon-lifeboat-station

RNLI media contacts

Mike MacDonald, Lifeboat Press Officer, [email protected]

Natasha Rushby, RNLI Regional Communications Manager for Scotland, 07826 900639, [email protected]

Martin Macnamara, RNLI Regional Communications Lead for Scotland, 07920 365929, [email protected]

RNLI Press Office, 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.

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