Hornsea Inshore Rescue were called into action twice yesterday – Saturday, June 28 – rescuing four people from the sea in separate incidents just hours apart.
The first shout came at 2.32pm, when two kayakers were reported in the water about a mile offshore in choppy conditions.
Because the pair had not been wearing high-visibility clothing, they were extremely difficult to locate. Hornsea and Bridlington Coastguard teams were also tasked, with Bridlington Coastguard directing the lifeboat on to the casualties while speaking to the first informant. Both men were brought aboard and returned to the Hornsea station suffering from hypothermia, before being transferred into the care of the ambulance service.
At 6.49pm, the Hornsea crew were paged again, this time to reports of two people cut off by the tide. The crew launched quickly and recovered both casualties safely.
A spokesman said: “A huge thank you to all agencies involved today. Professional teamwork and quick coordination made all the difference.
“If you’re heading out to sea or walking the coast, wear high-visibility clothing, always check tide times, and stay aware of your location and surroundings.”
These incidents follow an already busy week for lifeboat rescue services across the region, with Hornsea Inshore Rescue and Withernsea RNLI collectively responding to several callouts.
The flurry of callouts began on the morning of Thursday, June 19, when Hornsea Inshore Rescue was tasked to help two people and their dogs who had been cut off by the tide between Mappleton and Hornsea.
The lifeboat Spirit of Hornsea was launched by launchmaster Rob Prince, with James Kennedy as helm and coxswains Rob Carthew, Steve Hall and Shona Richards as crew. The casualties were found at the base of the cliffs and brought aboard, along with the dogs, before being returned safely to the station.
A spokesman reiterated the importance of checking tide times before walking along the beach, and warned that the sea can reach the cliffs on the south side around two hours before high tide.
That same evening, Withernsea RNLI were called out to assist a vessel with engine trouble. Earlier in the day, HM Coastguard had paged the station to support a boat north of Withernsea experiencing engine failure.
A crew of four launched, led by newly qualified helm Luke Newton on his first job in the role. The vessel was brought under tow and returned safely to shore. During the recovery, an accident occurred on board, resulting in injuries to one person. A crew member provided first aid and the casualty was transferred to Hull Royal Infirmary with the support of emergency services.
Later that night, at 11.12pm, Withernsea RNLI launched again to assist in a search for a missing person as part of a multi-agency response. A four-person crew carried out a shoreline search guided by HM Coastguard and were joined by Rescue 912 helicopter. The team proceeded toward the Hilston area, and the missing person was later confirmed to have been located and was receiving care from emergency services.
On Friday, June 20, Hornsea Inshore Rescue responded to reports of two young girls being blown out to sea on inflatables. Spirit of Hornsea was launched, but by the time the crew arrived the girls had been brought ashore by members of the public.
In the early hours of Saturday, June 21, Spirit of Hornsea was launched again to provide safety cover for summer solstice swimmers.
It was then four launches in four days for the Hornsea crew, when at 1.42pm on Sunday, June 22, they were called to investigate a report of an inflatable dinghy adrift a mile and a half off Skipsea. The lifeboat, helmed by leading coxswain Karl Shannon with Coxswain Sue Hickson-Marsay, Adam Collins and Olivia Allen as crew, reached the scene just seven minutes after the call.
The dinghy was located with no one on board, prompting an “expanding square box search” to check for any occupants in the water. After a thorough search and beach inquiries, it was thought the dinghy had been abandoned the previous day. The lifeboat returned to base with the inflatable.
Just as the crew were finishing washdown and preparing for the next call-out, they were paged again at 7.30pm to investigate another inflatable sighting about 100 metres off Skipsea Sands.
This time, the lifeboat was helmed for the first time by trainee coxswain Jake Blackburn-Roberts, with Steve Hall, Adam Collins and Carl Handley as crew. Another upturned inflatable was recovered after the usual search, with beachgoers confirming it had likely been left the previous day.
Station manager Sue Hickson-Marsay MBE issued another warning about the dangers of inflatables at sea: “Quite simply they should not be used in the sea as they can so quickly be blown out with potentially disastrous consequences. They can only be safely used in swimming pools.”
Withernsea RNLI were called out again at 2.45pm that same Sunday, June 22, to reports of a paddleboarder in difficulty off Spurn Point. A four-person crew launched and made a swift response, reaching speeds of 25 knots. On arrival, the casualty had already been recovered by a Windcat vessel. Two RNLI crew boarded the vessel to assess and monitor the individual until Rescue 912 arrived to transfer them to hospital.
A Withernsea RNLI spokesman said: “This marks our 12th job of the year and sixth this month – we remain ready to respond when we are needed.”