At 11.20am on 7 July, inshore D class lifeboat George Bearman and all-weather Shannon class lifeboat R and J Welburn were tasked to assist a local fishing trawler taking on water in Exmouth estuary.

The inshore lifeboat launched first at 11.20am and was on scene within six minutes with the first salvage pump. A crew volunteer was put on board the trawler to start the pump in water five foot deep in the engine space.

At 11.38am, R and J Welburn launched with a second salvage pump to also assist the 10 metre trawler. Once on scene, an additional two crew volunteers were put on board the vessel to speed up the process. After around 30 minutes, all water had been removed by the pump and the owner dealt with the point of entry by the water.

Kevin Riley, Lifeboat Operations Manager coordinated the call-out:

‘Once again we have a member of the public trying to contact the station and crew direct in an emergency. The protocol is to call 999 and ask for the Coastguard. This will ensure a more speedy response which will make a big difference in an emergency situation.’