Ladies in the mud saved from the incoming tide.

Boat launched : D-Class

Date : Sunday 21 June

Launched at : 12:13

Returned at : 13:00

Weather : Fine and dry but with a F5 W wind.

Two ladies who took a short cut whilst out for a walk with friends, were trapped in the mud in Snowhill Creek and were rescued by Hayling RNLI Lifeboat in the nick of time as they were in danger from a rapidly rising incoming tide.

The UK Coastguard contacted Hayling RNLI following a report from the W Sussex Fire Service that a person was possibly in the mud behind East Head/east Wittering and they asked the lifeboat crew to investigate. The D-Class Lifeboat was launched and made its way towards the inlet behind East Head known as Snowhill Creek. Whilst en-route the Coastguard updated the report that the location was correct but that there might be 4 people in difficulty.

On arriving at the scene the lifeboat crew found two people on the shoreline and so safe but two others in the mud and not far from the deeper channel. With a fast incoming tide these casualties needed to be rescued and as the lifeboat was able to get quite close to them they were taken on board and kitted out with lifejackets. They were two ladies, one French and one Spanish, who had been walking at the Witterings and got into the mud, and had they not been rescued when they were, they could soon have been in serious trouble. They were taken by lifeboat round to the W Wittering beach and put ashore where they were handed over to the Coastguard team to help them recover from their ordeal.

So a visit to the seaside quickly turned into a dangerous situation, but happily real harm to the ladies was averted. They said ‘We thought we could take a short cut across the sand bank but it turned out to be mud! It was good that our friends could raise the alarm and that the RNLI got to us so quickly.’

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Service Numbers 2019

Total Launches: 84
Atlantic 85: 42
D-Class: 42

Services Totals

2015 - 67
2014 -77
2013 - 86
2012 - 77

Tide Times

Tide times and heights not available for http://www.tidetimes.co.uk/rss/chichester-harbour-entrance-tide-times

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