At 5.04pm the first callout took place when Belfast Coastguard paged crew to assist with a casualty cut off by a rising tide near Newton Shore. The crew attended the lifeboat station and RNLI D class inshore lifeboat
Sheena was soon launched to assist.
With Ayr Rescue Coastguard Team also attending, initial contact was made with the casualty by the Coastguard team as the inshore lifeboat arrived.
Once on scene an assessment was undertaken and it was deemed more appropriate for the Coastguard team to assist the casualty and the inshore lifeboat stood by should there be any further developments.
With the casualty assisted by the Coastguard team, the inshore lifeboat returned to Troon where it was made ready for service.
Not long after the lifeboat crew had returned home at 7.17pm Belfast Coastguard paged the crew as a member of the public believed a kayaker may be in difficulty near North Shore Ardrossan.
The crew assembled and D class inshore lifeboat Sheena was once again launched as Ardrossan Coastguard Rescue Team made their way to assist from the shore.
Before the arrival of the inshore lifeboat, the Coastguard team were able to confirm that the kayaker was not in difficulty so the lifeboat was able to return to station.
As the crew returned home once again to get some dinner at 8.42pm Belfast Coastguard activated the crew pagers as members of the public contacted the Coastguard reporting 2 paddle boarders in difficulty near to Craig Tara, south of Ayr.
The all-weather lifeboat RNLB Roy Barker VI was launched and made its way to the scene alongside the Ayr Coastguard Rescue Team.
On arrival on scene, it was ascertained along with Coastguard team that all was in order and that no assistance was required so the lifeboat crew returned to station where the lifeboat was made ready for service.
The lifeboat crew headed home, and to bed, but the pagers were again activated by Belfast Coastguard just after midnight on Saturday 19 July to launch both the inshore and all-weather lifeboats.
As the crew arrived at the station, Belfast Coastguard informed the crew the lifeboats were no longer required so the volunteers returned home to bed!
Following the callouts, Troon RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager Jim Redmond said, ‘Walking along the coast is a very safe activity most of the time. Our advice is to always take a means of calling for help and to check the tides as they vary throughout the month and can easily catch you out if you haven’t checked them. Always let someone know where you are going and when you expect to be back.
‘We would always recommend to members of the public if they get into difficulty or see anyone who they think is in difficulty to call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.’
Don’t forget that its our annual lifeboat station Open Day on Saturday 26 July 2025 from 11am - 4pm.
RNLI/TroonLifeboat
Troon RNLI Shannon class all-weather lifeboat RNLB Roy Barker VI
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.
