Articles Special visitors witness Exmouth RNLI in action

Special visitors witness Exmouth RNLI in action

Special visitors witness Exmouth RNLI in action

Invited guests who attended an event at Exmouth lifeboat station on Thursday 16 May had the opportunity to see the RNLI crew volunteers in operation. The 15 guests had visited the station as part of a ‘Special Visitors Day’ to hear about pledging money to the charity that saves lives at sea.

The guests, some of whom had travelled as far as Scotland, were treated to informative talks by Exmouth RNLI Coxswain Mechanic, Tim Mock; RNLI Lifeguard Supervisor, Julian Smart and Divisional Operations Manager for the South West, Tom Mansell. The Special Visitors were about to embark on a tour of both Exmouth lifeboats when the pagers sounded.

Brixham coastguard tasked the inshore lifeboat, George Bearman at 1.45pm. A member of the public had found a wrecked jet ski to the south west of Lyme Bay and had towed it back to his mooring in Starcross in the Exe estuary. Crew volunteers Henry Mock, Mark ‘Max’ Champion and Guy Munnings at the helm transferred the broken craft to Exmouth marina. The team informed the police and enquired whether there had been any local missing persons, which could have meant a further search in both Tor and Lyme Bays.

There was no cause for further concern and Devon and Cornwall Police are investigating the circumstances of the broken jet ski. Kate Ireland, Philanthropy Fundraiser for the South West was helping host the event;

‘To have a rescue in the middle of Special Visitors Day keeps the purpose of the event real. It really is the cherry on top of the cake for us. Many of the visitors chose to come to Exmouth especially, including a 98 year-old lady from Scotland who was celebrating her birthday. We really appreciate legacies whatever the value, to help save lives at sea. As a charity, we solely rely on legacies and donations to keep our lifeboats working. Six out of 10 lifeboats are funded entirely from people leaving us money in their wills.’

Author: ian_taylor@rnli.org.uk