Lowestoft RNLI Lifeboat Crew rescue a stand-up paddle boarder clinging to a pier
A Suffolk lifeboat crew has pulled a man on a paddleboard from the sea after he was swept under a pier by a fierce tide.
Coxswain John Fox said "we soon travelled the short distance from our mooring to the Claremont and on arrival could see the paddleboarder under the pier hanging onto the base of one of the pilings. There was very strong time running which was pushing the paddleboarder against the piling."
"We deployed our deck mounted ‘A' frame which swings over the side of the lifeboat. We then put a strop on the ‘A' frame which goes around and under the arms of the casualty and we are then able to winch him out of the water and the lifeboat crew pulled him on deck. This is called a 'Spray Rail Recovery.’
Once on the deck we picked up his paddle board and headed back to our mooring on South Pier. As he was cold we wrapped a jacket around him and on arrival passed him to Lowestoft and Gorleston Coastguard Rescue teams who gave him a drink and treated him for cuts and grazes to his arms.”
A lifeboat spokesman said "it appears the paddleboarder was caught out by the strong tide which swept him under the pier - but he was grateful to the lifeboat and coastguard crews for helping and caring for him"
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The RNLI charity 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 146,000 lives.
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