With Easter upon us, and the UK looking forward to a succession of bank holidays, RNLI lifeboat crews in the North are offering some important sea safety tips for anyone planning a trip to sea during that time.
The Easter holidays are often the first chance of the year for many people to go afloat – particularly if the weather is fine – and the RNLI’s volunteer lifeboat crews and lifeguards are preparing themselves for a busy couple of weeks.
Over the Easter and May Day weekends last year, the RNLI’s lifeboats launched 126 times to leisure boating incidents, rescuing 178 people.
The RNLI’s volunteer lifeboat crews in the North East are on-call 24/7, ready to launch and rescue those in danger at sea.
For those going out to sea, the RNLI’s top sea safety tips are:
• Wear a lifejacket
• Get relevant training
• Carry a means of calling for help
• Check engine and fuel
• Tell others where you are going
• Check weather and tides
Peter Chennell, RNLI Sea Safety Manager, says:
‘Last year over half of RNLI lifeboat launches were to pleasure craft and we’re offering boaters some simple sea safety advice so that they can enjoy their first trip afloat of 2012.
‘Don’t let mishaps ruin your day – check your boat, service the engine and carry spares. But accidents can happen to anyone, no matter how experienced, so make sure you have a reliable means of calling for help and ensure your lifejacket and its gas bottles are in good condition.’
For comprehensive and free sea safety information visit www.rnli.org.uk/seasafety.