Busy weekend for Dover Lifeboat volunteers

It was a busy weekend for the volunteer crew of Dover's RNLI lifeboat this weekend with three service calls plus performing a rescue demonstration for the Dover Community regatta and the station hosting it's annual Open Day on Sunday.

On Saturday following a successful and well received sea rescue demonstration together with Walmer Lifeboat off Dover's seafront, the RNLI volunteers were paged by Dover Coastguard to take over the tow of an 11 metre German yacht with two people on board, some six miles off the port from the Dungeness Lifeboat. The lifeboat quickly meet up with the vessel and proceeded to tow her back to the Port of Dover arriving back just after 5:30pm.

The volunteers were then paged again at 1am on Sunday morning to reports of a person in distress on the cliffs at Folkestone. The lifeboat proceeded to the area and prepared a crew to launch their small inflatable Y- Boat to get closer to the scene when they were told that the person concerned had been taken into the custody of Kent Police and the lifeboat was stood down and returned to Dover at 2:20am.

Sunday 27th July was the station's annual open day and at 11:27am as the crowds started to gather, Dover Coastguard requested an immediate launch to an 18 metre, 27 tonne converted barge that was taking in water some 5 miles off the port of Dover and in immediate danger of sinking with two people and a dog on board. The lifeboat under the command of Coxswain Mark 'Foggy' Finnis quickly arrived on the scene and transferred two crew members and a pump on board. At the same time a female passenger suffering from sea sickness and the dog were taken aboard the lifeboat for safety.

The ingress of water was stopped and the Dover Lifeboat then took the barge in tow and returned to the marina at 1:50pm.

Dover lifeboat Coxswain Mark Finnis said: "It was a very busy weekend for our volunteer crew but each incident was dealt with in a calm and professional manner. I would also like to thank the people of Dover for their support at the Dover Community regatta and at our Open Day, without that, the lifeboat and its crew of volunteers would be unable to continue its lifesaving work."

Main image shows German yacht 'Charlie' being escorted into Dover Marina (photo by Trevor Boston)

Other images show lifeboat crew pumping water from a sinking barge off Dover and lifeboat crewman Wayne Sherwood with recued dog, Rocky (photos by Steve Ladner)