HORNSEA’S independent lifeboat, Spirit of Hornsea, had its first call-out of the new year on Sunday when it was tasked to rescue two people cut off by the tide between Hornsea and Mappleton.
The crew were paged at 2.05pm and were on the scene within 10 minutes. Coxswain was Steve Hall with Rob Carthew on communications, Carl Handley on navigation and Jake BlackburnRoberts, complete with shovels as it was reported that the casualties were stuck in the mud some way up the cliff.
Coxswain Steve reported that the casualties were in a very difficult situation on a very unstable part of the cliff with the waves “booming” on to the cliff up to where they were perched. As there was still an hour before high tide it was imperative the crew recover the casualties without delay.
Crewman Jake Blackburn-Roberts swam through the surf to reach the casualties and equip them with lifejackets.
Coxswain Steve then judged when there would be sufficient break between one wave and the following wave and then rapidly closed in on the cliff face. The crew recovered the casualties and Jake all within a matter of seconds and the boat withdrew before the next wave arrived.
Steve said: “It was fortunate the casualties had seen the notices at Hornsea warning people of the dangers and that they should call 999 and ask for the coastguard, which they did. The casualties were none the worse for their ordeal other than having been very frightened.
“All credit to the crew who completed a textbook rescue and even managed to get the casualties in the boat without getting their T-shirts wet! Credit is also due to launchmaster Adrian Chiverton, Craig Monkman and the rest of the shore-based crew for doing such a fast and efficient launch and recovery.”
Chairman and station manager Sue Hickson-Marsay said: “These two people could well have drowned but for the swift and skilled action of our organisation. Once again, the hours of trainingdone by all the crew, in all sorts of conditions, has paid off and resulted in a happy result and not a tragedy.”
Hornsea Inshore Rescue is situated at the southern end of Hornsea promenade. It is a totally independent organisation run entirely by volunteers and receives no government nor RNLI funding. It is not part of the RNLI. Visitors to Hornsea Inshore Rescue and volunteers are always welcome whether they would like to serve as crew (comprehensive training is given), fundraisers or general helpers. Anyone interested is welcome to phone Sue on 07796 257989 or Ian on 01964 534302.
