Lifeboat charity RNLI rescued more than 8300 people in 2013
The RNLI launched its boats more than 8000 times in 2013, rescuing 8,384 people.
In addition, the charity’s lifeguards attended 19,594 incidents rescuing 1,567 people.
The busiest station was Tower on the River Thames, which launched 492 times, while the busiest coastal station was Southend-on-Sea, launching its boats and hovercraft 142 times.
The RNLI’s annual report states that half of all launches – more than 4000 – were to pleasure boats, although this figure does include surfers and kayaks, and that the most common callout (1596) was because of machinery failure..
Some of the more interesting call-outs include saving three girls who climbed on to a marker buoy when they were washed out to sea in Norfolk, as well as rescuing 30 people from the Dutch training vessel Astrid when it hit rocks near Cork.
George Rawlinson, operations director for the RNLI said: “It’s been another challenging year for the RNLI and the figures show the dedication of our volunteer crew, lifeguards and flood rescue teams. As a charity, we also rely on the incredible generosity of the public and I would like to say a huge thank you to all those who support the RNLI whether by giving up their time or making a donation.
