More Pease! A family affair as lifeboat crew go back for seconds at fun day

After HM Coastguard raised the alarm at 3.30pm that the two people were seen on rocks to the east of the site, the inshore D class lifeboat David Lauder launched from Dunbar Harbour, while the all-weather Trent class John Neville Taylor set off from Torness Power Station.

Both lifeboats arrived on scene at Pease Bay, nine miles east in the Scottish Borders, shortly after 4pm, by which time both the paddleboarder and spear fisherman had got themselves back to shore. They were met by a coastguard team from Dunbar who found them safe and well and in no need of assistance.

The callout was notable for being the first for father and son volunteers Adrian and Kai Lavery who were part of the inshore lifeboat crew. Earlier, Adrian and daughter Rosa had been among the Dunbar volunteers who’d attended the Pease Bay Summer Fun Fest, where the crew chatted to holidaymakers about the RNLI, the charity that saves lives at sea, passed on water safety advice and took part in a ‘hotly contested’ food eating contest, narrowly missing out to Dunbar Fire and Rescue Service.

Dunbar RNLI coxswain Gary Fairbairn said: ‘We were pleased the two people made it back ashore unhurt and it was a false alarm with good intent. There was a fresh breeze yesterday and our advice to stand-up paddleboard (SUP) users is to avoid offshore winds, wear a buoyancy aid, carry a phone in a waterproof pouch and wear the correct paddleboard leash.

‘We were delighted to be invited to take part in the Pease Bay fun fest – but didn’t expect to be back there quite so soon!’

Notes to editors

With photos

· Established in 1808, 16 years before the formation of the RNLI, Dunbar Lifeboat Station is one of the oldest in Scotland and is located on the south side of the mouth of the Firth of Forth.

· Since its formation, its volunteer crews have been honoured with 12 awards for gallantry.

· It operates two lifeboats – the Trent class all-weather lifeboat (ALB) John Neville Taylor, moored at Torness Power Station, and the D-class inshore lifeboat (ILB) David Lauder, which launches from Dunbar Harbour.

· A file photo of Dunbar’s lifeboats can be viewed here.

RNLI Media Contacts

For further information, please contact:

Douglas Wight, Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer for RNLI Scotland, douglas[email protected]

Richard Smith, 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 (available 24 hours), 01202 336789, [email protected]

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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.

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