Good weather and a four day weekend meant multiple callouts for the RNLI volunteer lifeboat crews around the UK.

RNLI Southend-on-sea’s inshore D class lifeboat was launched
from the pierhead to the Mulberry Harbour where seven people
were in danger of being cut off by the incoming tide. The volunteer
lifeboat crew advised all persons to walk back to the shore and kept
them under observation until they were safe.

During
the afternoon the inshore lifeboat was tasked to two people giving
cause for concern while swimming amongst the boat moorings at Shoebury
Common and was later sent back to the area to investigate a vessel that had broken from its mooring.

Later that evening, the same crew were tasked to two inflatables drifting with the offshore
wind at Jubilee Beach, Southend. Inflatables and occupants were returned
safely to the beach.

Meanwhile, a fishing boat, which was taking in water off Skomer Island, was towed to safety by Angle RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat on Sunday (pictured above). Milford Haven Coastguard had received a distress alert at 11.26 am and put out a mayday relay and appeal for help from any vessel in the area.

When the lifeboat reached the scene, the boat was under tow by another vessel. The lifeboat transferred crew member Nigel Berry and a salvage pump to the fishing boat and took over the tow, bringing the troubled boat safely to Milford Haven.

Wells RNLI inshore lifeboat responded to a Mayday call from a motor-sailing yacht, which went aground outside the channel approaches to Wells-Next-the-Sea harbour.

The 30-foot vessel, Carina, issued the distress signal when her crew feared their long-keel yacht was in danger of being swamped in the late evening tide. The signal was relayed to Wells lifeboat station from the coastguard and the lifeboat launched just before 10pm.

The four crew, with helmsman, Kevin Parr, arrived at the casualty vessel six minutes later. They quickly managed to tow the boat off the shallows and brought her back to a pontoon in the new outer harbour at 10.35pm.

There were three people and a dog onboard. No-one was hurt in the incident and the lifeboat returned to base and was ready for service again at 10.40pm.