The small dinghy plus its two occupants safely onboard the Sheerness RNLI lifeboat Photo: RNLI/Vic Booth
In a heart-pounding turn of events, two men narrowly escaped disaster when the Sheerness RNLI all-weather lifeboat was dispatched to locate a drifting dinghy perilously close to a busy Thames Estuary shipping lane near Southend Pier.
On the evening of Wednesday, 4 September, the volunteer crew of the Sheerness lifeboat ‘Judith Copping Joyce’ were conducting routine exercises when an urgent call came through. A small inflatable dinghy, carrying two men and without any means of propulsion, was reported adrift in the treacherous waters near Southend Pier.
With adrenaline pumping, the lifeboat crew raced to the scene, their eyes scanning the dark, choppy waters. Finally, they spotted the dinghy, perilously positioned in the bustling Sea Reach main shipping channel.
In a swift and decisive move, the crew pulled the two men and their fragile vessel aboard the lifeboat, ensuring their safety and clearing the channel to prevent further danger. The men were then transferred to the care of the Southend lifeboat crew, who had also been mobilized for the search.
Sheerness RNLI lifeboat coxswain Paul Jarvis reflected on the close call:
“These two individuals were incredibly fortunate to be found when they were. It was pitch dark, they had no lights, and they were right in the middle of the main shipping channel of the Thames. Just minutes earlier, an outbound ferry traveling at 14 knots must have narrowly missed them. Such a small craft would have been invisible to the ferry’s crew.”
The dramatic rescue serves as a stark reminder of the perils of the sea and the bravery of the lifeboat crews who risk their lives to save others.