The 7-metre motor cruiser under tow by the Whitstable RNLI lifeboat Credit: Ollie Myhill/RNLI Whitstable
A 7-metre motor cruiser with just one man onboard had to be towed to safety by the Whitstable RNLI lifeboat after going aground at Warden Point, Isle of Sheppey on Wednesday afternoon.
Founder
Launching at 3.56pm the Whitstable Atlantic 85 lifeboat Lewisco arrived ‘on scene’ 7-minutes later to find the craft aground and starting to ‘founder’ at the foot of cliffs and under the observation of the Sheppey Coastguard Rescue Team. At the time it was uncertain if the vessel was occupied. Weather conditions were a force 4 Easterly wind.
As lifeboat crewmember Dave Parry was preparing to go ashore to investigate the situation the solitary occupant appeared at the cabin door and confirmed he required assistance as his craft had lost its outboard motor.
With Dave Parry now onboard the casualty vessel to assist a tow was passed to the lifeboat which then extracted the stricken cruiser from the shoreline and commenced a tow around the South Eastern side of Sheppey to Hollowshore at the entrance to Oare Creek, Faversham.
Upon their arrival the lifeboat and motor cruiser were met by the coastguard team who assisted with mooring the casualty craft and the lifeboat was released from the incident to return to station.
Lifeboat Helmsman Ben Crosswell said: “Thanks must go to the ‘first informant’ onshore who alerted the coastguard to the vessels plight and once we had assessed the crafts situation it was a straightforward job to tow the vessel to the nearest safe berth.”
‘Brummie’
Joining Helm Ben Crosswell and fellow crewmembers Dave Parry and Ollie Myhill was trainee crewmember Will Smith who joined the station a year or so ago after moving to Whitstable from Birmingham. “Although I have been out on the boat ‘on exercise’ many times this was my first operational call’ and it was really good to be with such a cracking’ good crew.”
“I have always been interested in the work of the RNLI but there was not much call for their services in Birmingham so when I moved to Whitstable I thought I would give it ago, I think I’m the first ‘Brummie’ to go to sea in the Whitstable lifeboat!”