PRESS RELEASE
Teamwork Prevents Tragedy on the Lincolnshire Coast
Russell Matthews, 19/8/09
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) at Skegness is again warning of the dangers of using inflatable toys and dinghies on the sea, after volunteer lifeboat crews spend another afternoon preventing tragedy on the Lincolnshire coast.
The Skegness RNLI inshore lifeboat (ILB) launched at 1:30pm today (Wednesday) to the first of over 40 incidents to be dealt with by the lifeboat crews, lifeguards and local coastguards throughout the afternoon.
By 3.15pm, the inshore lifeboat was so busy dealing with multiple incidents between Skegness, Ingoldmells and Chapel St Leonards that the Skegness all-weather lifeboat (ALB) was also requested to launch by Yarmouth Coastguards.
Coxswain of the Skegness lifeboat, John Irving, said that tragedy had been prevented by teamwork: "It's been a busy afternoon but thanks to the efforts of the lifeboat crews, RNLI lifeguards and the Coastguards working together, no one was lost or seriously hurt."
The ILB was at sea for nearly five hours, returning to Skegness just after 6:15pm.
The ALB was requested to join Mablethorpe lifeboat to investigate an object sighted off Anderby Creek - which turned out to be another unoccupied dinghy - before returning to Skegness at 7:30pm.
The RNLI advises that inflatables should only be used on lifeguarded beaches, between the yellow and red flags, and never if the orange wind sock is flying (indicating an offshore wind that will blow you out to sea). Children should never be left alone with inflatables on or near the water, and an adult on the beach should always have hold of a secure line (rope) attached to the inflatable.
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The Lincolnshire Poacher launches from Skegness beach.
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