Lifeboat shout in the Crouch yesterday

[tidclacy]

A motor boat called up the coastguard ( Dover ) yesterday to say his power was down and he was drifting in the Crouch Estuary.

He then anchored after the CG reminded him he had an anchor.

The MB did give his position correctly Lat and Long and went on to say he was opposite the gravel bit and down river from the Burnham Yacht club.
I checked on my chart to place him just down river from Rice and Coles near the RSPB pontoons down river from the Royal Corinthian.
( I was up by Bridgemarsh ).He did confirm later he was downriver from a white building.

The CG then asked whether he was near Bradwell Creek!

After replacing a fuse and having a further failure the Lifeboat was called out to assist. The MB was towed back to the Yacht Harbour where he berths.

Radio reception between the CG and MB was poor.

Faults on both sides?

 

[DanTribe]

The RNLI is a great service.
It's like having AA breakdown and recovery service and you don't even have to pay a subscription.

 

[sailorman]

The RNLI is a great service.
It's like having AA breakdown and recovery service and you don't even have to pay a subscription.

I assume you are joking

 

[MoodySabre]

The RNLI is a great service.
It's like having AA breakdown and recovery service and you don't even have to pay a subscription.

I've got a sticker on my window in the hope that they might salute.

 

[MoodySabre]

Back to the OP's point.

Yes faults on both sides but the biggest fault on the CG. We always though that an absence of local knowledge might be a problem, but not pinpointing a Lat and long - heaven help us.

 

[rgarside]

I think there was a recent one at the Deben entrance. While the CG was trying to figure out where the Deben was, he was further confused by the "Volunteer" calling in to say he was at Felixstowe Ferry and would assist immediately.

It's having all these confusing local names that is the problem!

 

[PaulRainbow]

I think there was a recent one at the Deben entrance. While the CG was trying to figure out where the Deben was, he was further confused by the "Volunteer" calling in to say he was at Felixstowe Ferry and would assist immediately.

It's having all these confusing local names that is the problem!

Really ? Local places do tend to have local names.

 

[rgarside]

Really ? Local places do tend to have local names.

Sorry, I thought we did irony here.

 

[dombuckley]

Surprised nobody's mentioned the shout off Margate last week (5th).

Chap sailing solo had engine failure, calls a Mayday saying that he's in the Queen's Channel 4 miles north of Margate. Lifeboat and other vessels fail to find him.

Coastguard contacts sailor to double-check position, and he says he's close to the windfarm. So Coastguard directs all resources north to the Gunfleet windfarm.

9 hours after the initial call, he is found aground on Margate Sands, about a mile from his originally stated position.

Sounds like a complete cluster**** all round

 

[dogleg]

Surprised nobody's mentioned the shout off Margate last week (5th).

Chap sailing solo had engine failure, calls a Mayday saying that he's in the Queen's Channel 4 miles north of Margate. Lifeboat and other vessels fail to find him.

Coastguard contacts sailor to double-check position, and he says he's close to the windfarm. So Coastguard directs all resources north to the Gunfleet windfarm.

9 hours after the initial call, he is found aground on Margate Sands, about a mile from his originally stated position.

Sounds like a complete cluster**** all round

the yachtsman apparently gave a new position over the phone as 51:44N 01:30 E which put him in the Black Deep between No1 and No 2 buoys about 10 miles off Walton, so concentrating search there was correct at the time, what could be criticised was the failure to send another nearer lifeboat rather than allow the Margate LB to plough another 22 miles or so north particularly as the solo chap was apparently fatigued and disorientated, Dover are very short staffed apparently and it does show he was spotted on the Margate Sand at about 1630 some 2 hours after initial mayday