When Rye lifeboat launched a rescue mission, one of the crew on his very first shout was new recruit Stuart Clark, a direct descendant of William and Leslie Clark who lost their lives in the Mary Stanford disaster in 1928.
The lifeboat pagers went off at 2:50pm on Saturday January 19, requesting help for a dog in trouble in the River Rother. It was decided to help on foot as it was so near to the station.
Tony Peters, helm at the station, said: “It was a straightforward rescue as the dog was stranded on a sand bar and had a harness on. A bowline knot [sometimes referred to as the king of the knots because of its importance] was secured to the harness and the dog was taken to safety.”
HM Coastguards were on standby but the rescue was handled quickly and their assistance was not required.
Matt Ellis, a crew member who also attended, remarked: “It was excellent that the dog owners heeded the advice that the RNLI gives to dog owners. Call 999 for help and wait calmly for help to come and do not enter the water. They were extremely grateful to us for our quick response and happy to be reunited with their dog. Tragedy had been avoided.”
The couple was full of praise for the crew and gave a generous donation, helping to enable the RNLI to carry on their mission of saving lives at sea.
This was the second “first shout” at the station this past week.
Image Credits: kt Bruce .