St Mary’s RNLI aid three people on speedboat that struck rocks near Tresco
St. Mary's lifeboat, commanded by Peter Hicks, was launched in the early hours of Wednesday (8 September) to assist three members on board a speedboat that had struck rocks.
The volunteer crew were tasked at 3.30 am following a report that three people on a speedboat had struck rocks near the southern end of the island of Tresco, Isles of Scilly. Also on the scene, were Tresco Coastguards and the local ambulance boat, the Star of Life.
The speedboat was located in shallow water, meaning the Severn Class lifeboat could not get close enough to the casualties and instead, launched the inflatable Y-boat.
The two-man RNLI lifeboat crew were able to get all three people from their speedboat and on to the lifeboat and then transferred to the ambulance boat and into the care of the paramedic.
However, the shallow water proved to be an issue once again when combined with floating seaweed, the Star of Life suffered water-jet failure due to blocked jets.
A towline was then attached from the lifeboat to the Star of Life, and the lifeboat successfully towed the ambulance vessel clear. The blockage was then cleared, and the ambulance boat was able to continue to St. Mary's harbour where the casualties were passed to the care of ambulance staff.
The lifeboat was then refuelled and placed back on the mooring ready for service. casualties were passed to the care of ambulance staff.
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The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 142,700 lives.
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