Rye Harbour lifeboat station celebrated its open day on Saturday and as many people turned out to support the RNLI charity and enjoy the events, crew volunteers were diverted to rescue a father and his two young children when the outboard motor on their small dinghy failed in the River Rother.
As everyone was enjoying Stormy Sam, the RNLI mascot dancing with the Cinque Ports Morris Men, the new inshore lifeboat, Hello Herbie II, was being put through its paces on the River Rother. As they sped towards the river mouth the crew spotted a small inflatable dinghy in difficulties, with an adult and two small children on board. As they gave assistance to hold the dinghy off the river bank it became obvious that the outboard motor was not going to start, so they took the two children on board and towed the dinghy back to the safety of the lifeboat slipway.
This was the first rescue carried out under the control of the new Lifeboat Operations Manager, Tony Edwards, who said ‘This wasn’t the most difficult task for the crew volunteers to undertake but we are here to ensure the safety of all members of the public in all circumstances. Events such as this can quickly escalate out of control and can become dangerous, especially in such a small vessel with two young children on board.’
The open day was very enjoyable for all who attended and we are grateful to everyone who gave their time and effort to make it a success.
Respect the Water is the RNLI’s drowning prevention campaign. It highlights the risks, advises how to avoid danger and survive in an emergency situation.
Photo: Steve Griffin – Press Officer Rye Harbour RNLI