Rescue: 30 July 2007, Small RIB 008-07
Lifeboat Finds Disabled Boat

The Staithes & Runswick RNLI lifeboat was called to find and rescue two people on a small boat with engine failure.

On Saturday morning the lifeboat was on passage to Redcar to attend their fundraising day when the crew got a call from Humber Coastguard. At 11:40 the occupants of a small rigid-inflatable boat RIB) had phoned the coastguard to say that they had broken down and that a large ferry was approaching them. They were not sure of their exact position but had set off from the beach at Marske and were off Huntcliff, between Skinningrove and Saltburn.

The coastguard used it’s Automatic Identification System (AIS) and got the ferry’s position and the lifeboat headed towards the ferry‚ knowing that the small boat was somewhere ahead of it.

Just after 12:00pm the lifeboat crew spotted the casualty vessel and went alongside them. Both occupants were well and the boat was towed back to Marske beach.

“The boat was found about two and a half miles offshore and there was a fresh wind blowing them further out to sea. Luckily the boat owner’s mobile phone still had a signal and he was able to call for help. When going to sea a VHF radio is the best means of communication and have some distress flares”.

— Lee Jackson, a Staithes Lifeboat Helmsman

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