St Bees RNLI tasked in freezing conditions
At 8.15pm on Wednesday 19 November, the volunteer crew of St Bees RNLI were requested to launch by HM Coastguard Belfast following reports from an angler who had seen multiple flares approximately half a mile off Drigg beach. The lifeboat was safely launched by 8.30pm.
Upon reaching the reported location at 8.50pm, the crew carried out a thorough search of the area, using all available resources—including search lights, radar, and illumination flares—to try to locate any person or vessel that may have been in distress.
After more than three hours of intensive searching on one of the coldest nights of the year, the lifeboat crew were stood down by HM Belfast Coastguard, who were satisfied that all reasonable efforts had been made to locate a potential casualty. The Coastguard were also increasingly concerned about the welfare of the crew due to the rapidly dropping temperatures. En route back to St Bees, the crew were treated to a spectacular display of meteors hurtling across the sky.
The lifeboat returned to station and was rehoused and made ready for the next service call by 11.30pm. During their debrief, the crew were informed by the Coastguard that the likely cause of the reported flares was a previous wave of the same meteor shower that they had witnessed at sea.
Dick Beddows, Lifeboat Operations manager for St Bees RNLI said:
‘If you see anything along the coast or at sea that suggests someone may be in danger, please call 999 and ask for the Coastguard’
Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI is the charity that 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 146,700 lives.
Learn more about the RNLI
For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, TikTok 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.