Kippford RNLI Rescues Stranded Teenager
The volunteer crew at Kippford RNLI were called to the aid of a teenager cut off by the tide at Southerness lifeboat on Wednesday 13th August.
The lifeboat was paged 2.30pm on Wednesday 13th August to reports that someone had been cut off by the tide. The Kippford volunteer crew immediately dropped what they were doing that afternoon and the lifeboat Ronnie Sinclair was launched just over ten minutes later.
Conditions were favourable with a force 2 breeze and slight sea state meaning the Kippford D-Class lifeboat was able to make good speed towards the casualty location. Also tasked were Nith Inshore Rescue, Coastguard Rescue Helicopter 199 and the Annan Coastguard team.
The crew of 3 volunteers arrived on scene at 3.10pm and quickly spotted the casualty perched on a rock just offshore. The teenager and his fishing equipment were quickly taken on board and the crew confirmed that there were no injuries. Shortly afterwards Rescue 199 arrived overhead with the Nith Inshore Lifeboat volunteers on scene not long behind them.
Kippford’s inshore lifeboat is ideal for navigating the shallow and rocky waters around Southerness so the crew were able to take the teenager ashore to be reunited with friends and hand over to the care of the Annan Coastguard team. Nith Rescue and Rescue 199 stood by until the casualty was confirmed to be safely on dry land.
The crew then made their way back to the lifeboat station where the shore crew volunteers were waiting to wash and refuel the boat ready for the next service. The lifeboat and crew were able to return to their Wednesday afternoon activities just after 4.45pm.
Volunteer Lifeboat Helm at Kippford, Ross Kennedy, said: ‘The tides in our area are notoriously tricky and its not uncommon to see tidal cut offs at Southerness. The casualty did exactly the right thing by calling 999 and asking for the coastguard. Any attempt to return to shore could have made the situation much worse. As a crew we train regularly for these scenarios and were able to put that into practice to effect a very successful rescue.’
Notes to editors
· Kippford Lifeboat Station has been operating since 1966. To learn more about the station go to https://rnli.org/find-my-nearest/lifeboat-stations/kippford-lifeboat-station
· Attached stock photo of Kippford Lifeboat
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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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