Saving Lives at Sea: Series 7 Episode 9

As part of their training and to help prepare them for saving lives at sea, lifeboat volunteers come to do sea survival training at the RNLI College in Poole. In this video join Eastbourne RNLI Crew Member Chris Jenkins, who you’ll recognise from earlier in this series, to see what it’s like.

St Davids: Swept out to sea

The episode began with the crew at St Davids RNLI launching to rescue 16 paddleboarders who were in danger of being blown out to sea by a strong offshore wind. The volunteers were able to get all 16 paddleboarders – and their equipment – onboard the Norah Wortley before returning them to safety.

Appledore: A swimmer in danger

In Appledore, the crew quickly launched their inshore lifeboat after multiple 999 calls reporting a swimmer in difficulty. Meanwhile, a bystander borrowed a paddleboard to reach the unresponsive swimmer but struggled to get them back to shore – until the owner of a motorboat came to their aid and took the swimmer aboard. We saw the lifeboat volunteers arrive and began casualty care, before winching the swimmer into a Coastguard helicopter to be taken to hospital.

Margate: Run aground

Then the volunteers at Margate RNLI launched their B class lifeboat to three men whose yacht had run aground. When the crew arrived at the scene, the yacht was lying at a 45-degree angle. The casualties were still onboard and were well, but with the tide continuing to go out, their yacht would not be able to float again for hours. The lifeboat crew helped them into the lifeboat and took them safely to Margate.

Kinghorn: The good Samaritan

Next, we saw Kinghorn RNLI respond to a call about a paddleboarder in difficulty. Before the crew arrived on the scene, a kind kayaker spotted the paddleboarder and went to help them. But then the kayaker began to feel unwell himself. When the lifeboat crew arrived, they found him in the water and in serious difficulty – he had suffered a stroke.

Dun Laoghaire: Hen party in need of help

Finally, we saw the volunteer crew at Dun Laoghaire respond to a call from a boat that had been fouled by pots. When they arrived at the boat, they were surprised to find a hen party onboard. The crew helped to free the boat from the pots, looked after the casualties and then towed them to safety.