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Planned demonstration
launches at the Open Day on
Sunday 13th July were
delayed when the lifeboats were
tasked to three real incidents
requiring immediate assistance.
The first service
launch at 11am was to carry out a
medical evacuation from a yacht,
anchored off East Head in Chichester
Harbour, where a five year old boy
had a deep cut to his foot after
walking on the beach. The youngster
and his mother were brought back to
the lifeboat station in the Atlantic
75, B Class lifeboat, where the
Hayling First Responders, manning a
display, were able to assess the
casualty before the ambulance
arrived. The Atlantic 75 was then
tasked to assist a small fishing
boat in Hayling Bay with a petrol
engine that was overheating. Then at
2.45pm the Atlantic went to help a
sports boat in Bracklesham Bay which
had lost its propeller. On both
occasions the lifeboat towed the
boats back to safety in Chichester
harbour.
The open day, the
first in the newly extended
building, was designed to show
visitors how the two inshore
lifeboats, the Atlantic 75, B Class
Lifeboat and the smaller D Class
Lifeboat, are launched and recovered
using specially adapted tractors.
Visitors also had tours of the new
facilities including the RNLI’s
Radar Mobile Training Unit which had
been on site for two weeks for the
voluntary lifeboat crew to attended
evening training sessions in
preparation for the new equipment on
the Atlantic 85, B Class Lifeboat,
which is due to replace the
Hayling’s Atlantic 75 later this
year
There were also
displays by HM Coastguards,
Hampshire Fire & Rescue, the Lowland
Search Dogs (Southern), Hayling
First Responders, Chichester Harbour
Conservancy and the Southern Model
Lifeboats Society who gave children
the opportunity to play with some of
their models on a small pool. The
Hayling RNLI Fundraising Committee
had a busy time selling RNLI
souvenirs and a bouncy castle and
other activities kept the children
busy whilst the lifeboats were out
on service. |
