FEBRUARY 2009
VOl.2:82
Newbiggin Lifeboat
Station
Lives Saved Since 1851 682 + 6
DOGS + Bunch of Balloons
Launches Since 1851 581
This Month’s Headlines
Weather for February 2009
Exercises
Services and much more
Weather Almanac for February 2009
Cold and unsettled – winter had gripped us – the
weather headline for the month. The reality of the
weather problems for February was very cold
conditions accompanied by heavy snow early on
the 2nd that caused traffic chaos for that Monday
morning. To think that was the last of the snow
this winter was wrong as ten days later we had
more snow mostly throughout daylight hours. The
month went on to end mainly dry and mild.
Exercises
Exercises were held on the 1st, 15th, 19th
(Assessor), 22nd and 26th (Inspector).
Photographs showing the exercises can be
viewed on the RNLI web page and go to the
Newbiggin Gallery.
Services
There was one service call which occurred on the
afternoon of 22nd February 2009 with the detials
as follows;
'Volunteers from Newbiggin RNLI Lifeboat Station
were called out at 14.46 today after a mobile
phone call for help from two pleasure fishermen.
The two fishermen had set out earlier in the day
for what was to be their first trip out rod fishing off
the coast at Newbiggin but the day out was
marred by an engine failure which quickly put
them at the mercy of the elements. Without a VHF
radio they manged to call the Coastguard with a
mobile telephone advising of their plight and
requesting immediate help. With a freshening
offshore wind and prevailing tidal currents they
were been taken further out to sea in their 12 foot
cabin boat which was to make locating them more
difficult.
NEWBIGGIN’S 158TH
YEAR OF LIFESAVING
Back on shore the Coastguard alerted the
volunteers at Newbiggin and shortly afterwards
the RNLI Atlantic 75 class lifeboat CSMA 75th
Anniversary was underway to begin a search for
the casualty vessel and its two crew. With support
from the Newbiggin Coastguard team who
assisted in directing the lifeboat, the casualty was
soon located some 3 mile south east of Newbiggin
Bay and towed safely to the shore.
Richard Martin Lifeboat Press Officer for
Newbiggin Lifeboat Station said ' despite the two
men having lifejackets in their boat they did not
have a VHF radio which is an essential piece of
safety equipment in any boat going out to
sea. Had the mobile phone been out of range then
the rescue units could have been delayed in
commencing the search'.
New Helmsman
During the Inspector’s visit on 26th February 2009
one of our volunteers Brian Athey was assessed
at sea to determine his graduation to the post of
Helmsman. After a grueling assessment session
in cool conditions the lifeboat returned to shore
and it was announced that Brian had made the
grade.
Richard Martin
28/02/2009
2 Newbiggin Lifeboat Station
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