Sheerness RNLI Volunteer Crew Respond to Five Incidents in 48 Hours

From June 13 to 15 our volunteers assisted people in difficulty on the water and supported other emergency services ashore.

The crew launched on Thursday 13 June following a request to assist in a shoreside incident, and were stood down shortly after.

On Friday 14 June at 12.45pm, the lifeboat was called to assist a yacht aground near Deadman’s Island, north of Flushing Pier, Queenborough. The vessel, which was making contact with the seabed and unable to anchor safely, was towed into deeper water and continued its journey under its own power to Medway Yacht Club.

Later that evening, the ILB launched again as part of a multi-agency response.

Then in the early hours of Saturday 15 June at 2.21am, the crew responded to a vessel aground in Milton Creek. Once water levels allowed access, the lifeboat located the casualty vessel and towed it safely back to a pontoon near the Kingsferry Bridge.

Later that morning, the ILB was placed on standby to support another shoreside incident alongside emergency services.

Alan Carr, volunteer Lifeboat Operations Manager at Sheerness RNLI, said: “This recent run of launches highlights the variety of incidents our volunteer crew respond to, from helping vessels in difficulty to supporting partner agencies when called upon. We’re incredibly proud of the crew’s professionalism and commitment.”

Photo 1: ILB Buster while out on a shout

Photo 2: ILB Buster towing near the Kingsferry Bridge

Photo 3: Volunteer crew Andy, Kim and Rachel towing a vessel with Buster

Photo 4: The crew of ILB Buster watching the sun rise on a shout

Photo 5: ILB Buster towing a yacht

RNLI Media contacts:

• For more information please email RNLI volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer Megan Carr on [email protected] or Hatti Mellor, Regional Media Officer on [email protected] or contact the RNLI Press Office on 01202 336789.

• For enquiries outside normal business hours, contact the RNLI duty press officer on 01202 336789

• RNLI online: For more information on the RNLI please visit http://www.rnli.org/. News releases and other media resources, including RSS feeds, downloadable photos, and video, are available at the RNLI News Centre.

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution is the charity that saves lives at sea. Our volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service in the United Kingdom and Ireland from 237 lifeboat stations, including four along the River Thames and inland lifeboat stations at Loch Ness, Lough Derg, Enniskillen and Lough Ree. Additionally the RNLI has more than 1,000 lifeguards on over 180 beaches around the UK and operates a specialist flood rescue team, which can respond anywhere across the UK and Ireland when inland flooding puts lives at risk.

The RNLI relies on public donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. As a charity it is separate from, but works alongside, government-controlled and funded coastguard services. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824 our lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved at least 140,000 lives. Volunteers make up 95% of the charity, including 4,600 volunteer lifeboat crew members and 3,000 volunteer shore crew. Additionally, tens of thousands of other dedicated volunteers raise funds and awareness, give safety advice, and help in our museums, shops and offices.

For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.

Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 or by email.

The RNLI is a charity registered in England and Wales (209603) and Scotland (SC037736). Charity number 20003326 in the Republic of Ireland.