Lifeboat rescue of 7.4 m yacht off Salcombe

Mataji

Mataji

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I’ve just read in the current issue of the RNLI magazine of a magnificent achievement by the Salcombe crew. All credit to them.
However, I would love to have seen some more background to this story.
The rescue was of 2 men from a 7.4 metre yacht on the rocks in Freshwater Bay (just north of Start Point). It was at 3.55am on the 21st December with winds of force 7 to 8. What the heck were they doing out there then?
 
Mataji said:
I’ve just read in the current issue of the RNLI magazine of a magnificent achievement by the Salcombe crew. All credit to them.
However, I would love to have seen some more background to this story.
The rescue was of 2 men from a 7.4 metre yacht on the rocks in Freshwater Bay (just north of Start Point). It was at 3.55am on the 21st December with winds of force 7 to 8. What the heck were they doing out there then?
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Indeed
 
Mataji said:
I’ve just read in the current issue of the RNLI magazine of a magnificent achievement by the Salcombe crew. All credit to them.
However, I would love to have seen some more background to this story.
The rescue was of 2 men from a 7.4 metre yacht on the rocks in Freshwater Bay (just north of Start Point). It was at 3.55am on the 21st December with winds of force 7 to 8. What the heck were they doing out there then?
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Celebrating the winter solstice, but got their timing wrong as it was at 15:59 UTC.

I wonder what the wind direction was? They would be quite sheltered in anything but an easterly.
 
lustyd said:
If it came from RNLI PR I suspect they were in bed with cocoa and the boat was tied up in a marina during the rescue.
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The yacht was aground amongst rocks, in a force 7 with large waves and driving rain.

Two of the Salcombe crew went across in the little Y boat and got the yacht's crew off.

The two lifeboat crew were awarded gallantry medals.

And yet you hold the RNLI in such contempt that you think the whole thing was made up by the PR department?

It's nice to know that what we do is so appreciated.
 
Juan Twothree said:
The yacht was aground amongst rocks, in a force 7 with large waves and driving rain.

Two of the Salcombe crew went across in the little Y boat and got the yacht's crew off.

The two lifeboat crew were awarded gallantry medals.

And yet you hold the RNLI in such contempt that you think the whole thing was made up by the PR department?

It's nice to know that what we do is so appreciated.
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Well done to the RNLI crew. (y)

Do you have any information on how the rescued party ended up in their predicament?
 
Juan Twothree said:
The yacht was aground amongst rocks, in a force 7 with large waves and driving rain.

Two of the Salcombe crew went across in the little Y boat and got the yacht's crew off.

The two lifeboat crew were awarded gallantry medals.

And yet you hold the RNLI in such contempt that you think the whole thing was made up by the PR department?

It's nice to know that what we do is so appreciated.
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Some of us hold the lifeboat crew in extremely high regard. The PR department on the other hand....

My own personal gripe is the number of times they use volunteer in any press release.
 
The RNLI actually do rescue people though. No idea how truthful their PR department is. Our local independent lifeboat has an average annual income measured in hundreds of thousands and hasn’t launched in anger in over 25 years. That gets my goat, not the RNLI
 
Chiara’s slave said:
………Our local independent lifeboat has an average annual income measured in hundreds of thousands and hasn’t launched in anger in over 25 years.…….
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Which one? When I worked on the inshore boats in the Solent, none of the independents had much money (GAFFIRS and Hamble were the most solvent) and most were out on a shout every week during the summer.
 
dunedin said:
Please provide evidence or withdraw this slander
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There are plenty of examples and plenty of threads, no need to go into it again here. It's not slander, it's the way they operate. Every call is blown out of all proportion in the write up, lack of life jackets highlighted as contibutory even when the issue is a simple breakdown, skippers blamed for stupidity in instances when they didn't need or want rescuing and didn't ask. Plenty of specific examples on the forum. As I said, I respect the crews who generally do a great job, but the organisation needs work. It's healthy to point this out, it's how things improve!
 
lustyd said:
There are plenty of examples and plenty of threads, no need to go into it again here. It's not slander, it's the way they operate. Every call is blown out of all proportion in the write up, lack of life jackets highlighted as contibutory even when the issue is a simple breakdown, skippers blamed for stupidity in instances when they didn't need or want rescuing and didn't ask. Plenty of specific examples on the forum. As I said, I respect the crews who generally do a great job, but the organisation needs work. It's healthy to point this out, it's how things improve!
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Instead of hijacking this one why not start a thread about it? We havnt had an RNLI bashing session for a few weeks have we?
 
lustyd said:
There are plenty of examples and plenty of threads, no need to go into it again here. It's not slander, it's the way they operate. Every call is blown out of all proportion in the write up, lack of life jackets highlighted as contibutory even when the issue is a simple breakdown, skippers blamed for stupidity in instances when they didn't need or want rescuing and didn't ask. Plenty of specific examples on the forum. As I said, I respect the crews who generally do a great job, but the organisation needs work. It's healthy to point this out, it's how things improve!
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I read the reports on RNLI shouts in my daily Ireland Afloat newsletter and haven't been concious of any direct mentions of operator stupidity. Sometimes lifejackets and means of communication are mentioned. Volunteers are always mentioned.
Regarding the relative infrequency independent lifeboats' shouts, tasking of assets would be the prerogative of the Coastguard.
 
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Our independent lifeboat is constrained by having a wooden slipway straight into the channel, south facing, and having no adequate launch system. Coupled with the average crew age of over 70 from what I can see, it’s hopeless. It’s mirror calm out there now with a light offshore wind, paddleboards out in force. often there are surfers
 
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