Lifeboat crew's training exercise turns real (From Darlington and Stockton Times)
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Redcar Lifeboat crew's training exercise turns real
5:34pm Sunday 17th March 2013 in News
By Chris Webber, Reporter (Stockton/Hartlepool)
Redcar lifeboat in action today, Sunday, March 17
A ROUTINE training exercise turned into a real-life rescue for lifeboatmen.
Redcar’s Atlantic 85 class lifeboat Leicester Challenge III had launched to carry out training when the coastguard contacted the crew just after 10am with information regarding a small fishing boat which had broken down in the mouth of the River Tees.
When the lifeboat arrived at the scene, the crew found the fishing boat’s skipper and sole occupant had dropped the craft’s anchor to keep it from drifting into the busy shipping lane.
The stricken craft was then taken under tow by the lifeboat to a nearby slipway where it was put back onto its launching trailer.
Dave Cocks from Redcar RNLI said: “Our volunteer crews never know when a real emergency will come up. What started as a straightforward training run ended with a real-life emergency.
“The skipper of the fishing boat has done exactly the right thing when his engine broke down. He raised the alarm and dropped his anchor to keep him in safe waters.
“He was back ashore with his boat within minutes of our lifeboat arriving.”
