Lifeboat called out for 100th time this year

10:05am Monday 10th September 2012 in Echo News

Southend Lifeboat volunteers were called out for the 100th time this year as people flocked the beach for the hot weather over the weekend.
Volunteers from Southend Lifeboat Station were called out three times on Saturday and twice on Sunday.
The search and rescue hovercraft was launched from the shoreside boathouse to people in danger of being cut off by the incoming tide at the Mulberry Harbour at about 1.15pm on Saturday.
Two adults, a child and a dog were found unaware of the dangers. The hovercraft crew ferried one adult and child back to shore as the second adult and dog made an immediate return on foot, monitored by a Southend Coastguard Unit from the shore.
The hovercraft was then sent to East Beach straight afterwards, where four boys aged nine to 15 years old were found three quarters of a mile out from the shore, again unaware of the dangers.
The four were ferried safely ashore to East Beach Slipway to be met by Southend Coastguard and given safety advice.
In the afternoon the Atlantic 75 lifeboat was launched from the pierhead boathouse, to reports of an angling boat with engine problems off of Canvey.
The lifeboat took the vessel under tow back through The Ray Gut where she was then handed to another vessel for the short passage on to Smallgains Creek, freeing the lifeboat up in case of another call-out.
The hovercraft was called out again to three people in the water northeast of the pierhead yesterday morning.
The crew arrived to find all three people fit and well. The crew gave safety advice and encouraged them to walk back to shore.
At 7.30pm yesterday the inshore lifeboat was launched from the shoreside boathouse to reports of two people in the water from a capsized dinghy offshore at Chalkwell.
The inshore lifeboat reached Chalkwell to find the reported casualties and sailing dinghy back onshore fit and well with Chalkwell lifeguards.

Comments(5)

Blind Haze says...
10:58am Mon 10 Sep 12

Considering they were called out 122 times in 2011, 127 times in 2010 and 170 times in 2009, this is probably about average for the first 9 months.

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captain mannering says...
2:16pm Mon 10 Sep 12

its been more than that

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Cambridgeroadman says...
6:15pm Mon 10 Sep 12

The last call out you report (7.30pm on Sunday) was quite dramatic. Before any lifeboat showed up there was a hero windsurfer in action. People on the shore had noticed that the dinghi had capsized, about 300 meters away from the shore. The sailor was hanging on to it, being blown away from shore by the wind. A windsurfer came alongside, jumped into the water and then climbed up the hull of the boat and righted the dinghi. The sailor either could not get back into the dinghi or felt too inexperienced to continue sailing in the strong wind. He or she then hung on to the back of the boat and appeared to try to steer it by manipulating the rudder. The windsurfer got back on his board and kept surfing nearby, obviously to make sure that the sailor was safe. But the physical exertion on the windsurfer was noticeable because be was 'wiped out' a couple of times. He then left in the direction of Chalkwell. About ten Minutes later the lifeboat came roaring up from the direction of the pier toward the arches. The dinghi meanwhile had drifted towards the shore, about 20 meters beyond the groyns. The approaching lifeboat was a further 100 out. I was expecting it to turn towards the dinghi, but it just sped past. Visibility was still good enough to see it. But the rescuers (at least three) kept going towards Chalkwell. After a couple of Minutes the dinghy was getting closer to the shore and a couple of bystanders helped bring it on shore. That's when the lifeboat came roaring back and they spotted the dinghi on the shore. This time the public saved the day.

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southendshrimper says...
6:59pm Mon 10 Sep 12

Cambridgeroadman wrote:
The last call out you report (7.30pm on Sunday) was quite dramatic. Before any lifeboat showed up there was a hero windsurfer in action. People on the shore had noticed that the dinghi had capsized, about 300 meters away from the shore. The sailor was hanging on to it, being blown away from shore by the wind. A windsurfer came alongside, jumped into the water and then climbed up the hull of the boat and righted the dinghi. The sailor either could not get back into the dinghi or felt too inexperienced to continue sailing in the strong wind. He or she then hung on to the back of the boat and appeared to try to steer it by manipulating the rudder. The windsurfer got back on his board and kept surfing nearby, obviously to make sure that the sailor was safe. But the physical exertion on the windsurfer was noticeable because be was 'wiped out' a couple of times. He then left in the direction of Chalkwell. About ten Minutes later the lifeboat came roaring up from the direction of the pier toward the arches. The dinghi meanwhile had drifted towards the shore, about 20 meters beyond the groyns. The approaching lifeboat was a further 100 out. I was expecting it to turn towards the dinghi, but it just sped past. Visibility was still good enough to see it. But the rescuers (at least three) kept going towards Chalkwell. After a couple of Minutes the dinghy was getting closer to the shore and a couple of bystanders helped bring it on shore. That's when the lifeboat came roaring back and they spotted the dinghi on the shore. This time the public saved the day.
if he cant swin he should not be our at sea, do you think the life boat may be helping someone else?

common sence.

do you want a warning sign 'tide comes in tide goes out'

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God Almighty says...
11:33am Tue 11 Sep 12

Who said he couldn't swim? Pounds top peanuts they both had lifejackets on. And what does the tide have to do with this? At least these mariners got themselves out of trouble, as they should. They would have known it was an onshore wind so all they had to do was hang on whilst they were blown inshore.
.
The imbeciles who walk out to the Ray across all that flat mud and are surprised when the tide comes in get no sympathy from me, The lifeboat should charge them for their time.

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