Claire shares this latest news from Yarmouth RNLI. Ed
Next Tuesday night’s episode will include film footage of two rescues carried out by the Yarmouth lifeboat in the western Solent last year – a man overboard incident during the Round the Island Race and a yacht grounded on the notorious Shingles Bank in violent seas.
Yarmouth is one of three RNLI lifeboat stations on the Island, the others being Cowes and Bembridge, and one of thirty-nine on the coast of South East England. The station is served by a full-time coxswain and mechanic, with a pool of twenty-two local volunteers on the crew.
42 callouts in 2016
Last year, Yarmouth’s Severn class lifeboat, the largest in the RNLI fleet, was requested to launch by the UK Coastguard on forty-two occasions, rescuing a total of ninety-one people.
This year’s figures, as they stand, will be very similar, maintaining the yearly average of forty-one shouts and eighty people rescued over the last five years.
Support for local RNLI
The local West Wight community helps to keep the Yarmouth lifeboat afloat through donations and voluntary work, such as assisting with fundraising events, lifeboat tours and the RNLI shop.
If you’re interested in joining this friendly band of volunteers, the shop is looking for help with weekend duties.
Retail experience would be helpful but training will be given; please call on 761345 for more information.
Don’t miss it
Don’t forget to tune in to BBC2 on Tuesday 26th September at 8pm.
Image: © RNLI – Andrew Parish
