The volunteer crew of Ramsgate RNLI were heading out on planned exercises in the all-weather Diamond Jubilee and the relief all-weather Victor Freeman on Tuesday (May 13) when a call came through from HM Coastguard at 6pm that two girls on a paddleboard were in trouble by the entrance to the River Stour.
The station lifeboat Diamond Jubilee continued with the exercise as they had trainees onboard, sending the relief lifeboat with a fully trained crew out to the paddleboard.
The wind had built up suddenly pushing the board out to sea, but the boarders has taken the precaution of carrying a mobile phone in a waterproof bag so had called HM Coastguard themselves.
Once the volunteer RNLI crew took them onboard and wrapped them in blankets, the girls advised there was another person on a board in trouble who had been swept towards the shore.
The lifeboat proceeded to the board where one crew member laid down on the deck, holding the board to provide stability, allowing the boarder to pulled onto the lifeboat.
They were all returned to Ramsgate Lifeboat station where they were handed into the care of the Coastguard Team.
Coxswain Ian Cannon, said: “The paddle boarders had taken the precaution of carrying a means of communication with them, without this it could have been a very different outcome.”
Photo by Ian Cannon of the Tamar Victor Freeman heading off to the shout
What is it about these paddleboards that means they are featuring in so many coroners reports and near-misses? I’m guessing the surge in popularity and accessibility is meaning a lot of people are unprepared for the potential dangers.
Even the most prepared can get in to trouble sometimes.
On my kayak I always have my phone AND a whistle. It’s also worth having a throw rope in a throw bag and diving knife in case you get caught in a line. Lastly, it’s always worth telling someone the route you’re taking and expected time of return. Learnt that one in the Ozzie outback with no signal, where just going for a walk and having an injury with just two people means you can’t call for help and have to leave the casualty to get it potentially, hence the log at the trail start route to sign in and out. We turned round, nit because of injury, but because I couldn’t see anywhere a helicopter could land if we did get injured and it was a 2 hour walk back to the compound.
I forgot to say the Ozzie walk was a 4 hour loop. But walking its best to turn round and use the route you went out on rather than continue on the unknown. It’s also why you always look behind you every now and again so you recognise things in reverse. Water activities not quite the same as direction of tide is different. Mountains, my friends were qualified mountain leaders, but one to snow line and one above snow line and you respect that too and turn round if you hit the snow line and aren’t with a qualified leader.
good to hear of a lifeboat being used for the purpose people used to give all the donations for , but i still think the idiots on the paddle boards should be sent a bill for the rescue.