As the temperatures soared across South Wales, the calls came in on Saturday for the RNLI to save more lives at sea as Mumbles lifeboat rescues 3 boats in one day.
It started with the call to an 18ft fishing boat just before 11am Saturday morning. The boat with 1 person on board had suffered power failure 8 miles off Oxwich Point and had to be towed back to Swansea Marina.
Another fishing boat suffered engine failure in the middle of Swansea Bay and also needed towing to Swansea. Then at 9.30 the RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew received another call to assist a Jet Skier off Mumbles Pier.
2nd Mechanic of the Mumbles lifeboat, Matthew Williams, said:
‘When the sun shines and the weather is calm it’s all too easy to be lulled into a false sense of security about your boat and it’s reliability. The truth is when the weather is good it’s the busiest time for the RNLI and while we’re always ready and willing to assist it’s important that seafarers take the opportunity to ensure they’re boats can get home whatever the case.
‘The right safety equipment (Flares, Lifejackets and a VHF radio) are essential. People think a mobile phone will suffice as an aid to call for help but they should have a VHF with them, it makes them easy to locate and many parts of the Gower don’t have any mobile phone signal’.
Tim Conway, RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager at The Mumbles said:
‘If any one is in doubt over whether they have the correct sea safety equipment on board then we offer a completely free Sea Safety Check for all boat owners, just call us at the boat house on 01792 361 268.
‘2009 was our busiest year to date, we are a charity and like all charities the current economic climate is making it incredibly difficult to raise the funds. The RNLI is totally dependant on contributions from the public and receives no government funding. We desperately need the support of the public in raising money.’
The RNLI has set a £150,000 fundraising target over the next three years towards a new £2.7m Tamar class boat for Mumbles. The Tamar lifeboats are the most advanced vessels operated by the RNLI, providing all weather rescue capabilities and will replace the current Tyne class rescue boat that currently serves Mumbles.
