Southend lifeboat volunteers out for 100th time this year (From Southend Standard)

Southend lifeboat volunteers out for 100th time this year

3:00pm Wednesday 12th September 2012 in Echo News

LIFEBOAT volunteers have been praised after hot and sunny weather saw them called out for the 100th time this year.

Councillor Derek Jarvis , councillor responsible for tourism on Southend Council, praised the Southend crews after they were called out five times over the weekend.

Councillor Jarvis said: “When you get big weekends like this, their services come into play.

“I’m from Southend and I’m 73-years-old, so I like to think I know the tides, but not everyone does.

“That’s what the crews are there for and we thank them for their hard work.”

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. 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, where four boys, aged nine to 15-years-old, were found three quarters of a mile from the shore.

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.

The hovercraft was called out again to three people in the water north-east of the pierhead on Sunday morning. The crew gave safety advice to the trio, who were fit and well, and encouraged them to walk back to shore.

At 7.30pm on Sunday, the inshore lifeboat was launched from the shoreside boathouse after a dinghy with two men in capsized offshore at Chalkwell .