RNLI saves itself from trouble
WHITSTABLE lifeboat station is
now fully up and running after the lifeboat’s launching carriage
was left stranded on Friday night.
An attempt to rescue the
lifesaving equipment began after the carriage and tractor ran into
problems following a call to a broken down motor cruiser off the
coast of Herne Bay.
The rescue equipment was left
stranded in soft mud 1200 yards from the lifeboat house.
Crews rushed to save the
stricken equipment and the lifeboat was placed on restricted
service throughout Saturday.
Whitstable Lifeboat’s operations
manager Mike Judge said: "Overnight divers had managed to separate
the carriage from the tractor and the lifeboat was able to tow its
still submerged carriage ashore.
"The circumstances of this
incident are wholly exceptional in that we encountered an extremely
low tide which meant that the tractor had to traverse very soft
areas of the foreshore that are almost never exposed by the
tide
"This was an excellent operation
by our volunteer crew members and meant that the station was fully
operational again an hour after we commenced the
recovery".
"The tractor remains offshore
and will require a crane lift from a barge and that has been
arranged for later in the day."
07/07/12
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