Ross lifeboats called out almost once a week
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RNLI lifeboat crews in Kessock, Kyle of Lochalsh and Invergordon were called to action 48 times over the course of the year — with all on standby 24/7 every day of the year to respond to search and rescue emergencies.
Annual stats released by the national charity also reveal that more than half of the Kessock crew’s call-outs came in the hours of darkness — well above the national average.
Kessock RNLI responded to a total of 21 shouts, 12 of which were in the dark. A total of 12 people were assisted during the call-outs, three of them under the age of 18. The crew logged a remarkable 1,183 hours of vital training at sea to maintain skill levels.
Their Kyle counterparts launched 14 times over the course of the year, coming to the assistance of 15 people, four of whom were under 18. Some 224 hours of exercises were logged over the course of 2011.
The Invergordon RNLI crew launched 13 times, coming to the aid of 16 people. The crew spent 549 hours in exercises at sea.
In an exciting new development which brings the drama of what they do to the ordinary people who help fund the lifeline service, the RNLI crews now all have video cameras attached to vessels to record their call-outs. Footage is then uploaded after permission from those assisted has been granted.
The RNLI launched, on average, 20 lifeboats in Scotland each week in 2011.
It was its sixth busiest year in Scotland — with 1,006 launches during which 847 people were rescued.
The busiest lifeboat station in Scotland was Broughty Ferry, where the RNLI’s two lifeboats launched a total of 104 times.
Divisional inspector in Scotland, Paul Jennings, said, “The annual statistics reveal once again the devotion to duty by our volunteer crews throughout Scotland. Apart from the shouts, the crews spend a great deal of time in exercising and improving their skills so that they are in a position to help anyone in all types of weather and in all types of situation.”
Close to 17 per cent of lifeboat call-outs were attributed to machinery failure. There was also an increase in the number of people who were in danger after being cut off from the tide.
Boats with fouled propellers resulted in 63 call-outs.
Operations director, Michael Vlasto, said, “It’s essential for us to look behind the figures as the charity puts a lot of effort into helping prevent emergencies in the first place. We do this through our safety education programmes and campaigns — another of the ways we aim to save lives at sea.”
