Mayday on May Day for Poole volunteers

Lifeboats News Release

Poole lifeboat was tasked just after 5pm yesterday (Friday May 8 ) to a report that a kayaker was in distress.

RNLI Poole

Poole lifeboat returning to station
Following multiple 999 calls to the Coastguard, of a report that a kayaker was in difficulty, a ‘Mayday’ was broadcasted, the kayaker was upside down and drifting with the ebb tide out through the entrance of the harbour.

When the lifeboat crew arrived on scene, they discovered that a paddleboarder had assisted a kayaker and had helped him to ‘right himself’, they had made it safely ashore.

The lifeboat crew affirmed that the kayaker ashore was the kayaker that had been reported in difficulty.

Conditions in Poole Bay were flat calm and glorious, a beautiful day, but the message is to please ‘stay home and stay safe’, then there will be more beautiful days ahead.

As the kayaker was safe and sound, the crew were about to head back but were tasked by the police to relay a message to kayakers that were out on Hook Sands, Hook Sands is a sand bar outside the entrance to Poole Harbour. The message was to ‘go home and stay home’.
The lifeboat crews returned to the station and the lifeboat was made ready for service by 6.30pm.

Poole lifeboat volunteer, DLA (Deputy Launch Authority) Paul Glatzel said;

‘No kayaker, paddleboarder or boater goes afloat with the expectation or intention to get into trouble, but things do go wrong unexpectedly sometimes.
Poole Lifeboat Station will always respond to requests for assistance, but we would ask people to bear in mind that when we do launch that our volunteer crews cannot socially distance on the lifeboats which increases the risk to them and to their families. This is the same for the volunteer Coastguard teams and the Police and ambulance crews that may attend. We ask that people respect the request to “Stay Home, Protect the NHS, Save Lives.”


Marine traffic showing the lifeboat responding at 37 knots

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