RNLI Douglas

Douglas RNLI all-weather lifeboat was launched today (20 March) at 12.37pm at the request of the Coastguard.

A 10m fishing boat had been operating approximately 4 miles south of Douglas when its propellers were fouled by another boat’s fishing nets. Unable to clear the obstruction and make their own way the crew radioed the Coastguard for assistance.

The Douglas all-weather lifeboat, Marine Engineer, under the command of volunteer coxswain, Edd Christian, headed south out off Douglas on a calm sea and with excellent visibility quickly found the casualty vessel.

Having first ensured that the two people on board were not in need of any immediate assistance themselves the fishing boat was taken under tow back to Douglas.

With the fishing boat safely berthed the lifeboat was recovered to the boathouse where it was washed down, re-fuelled and made ready again for service by 2.45pm.

Douglas RNLI lifeboat crew volunteers were paged yesterday afternoon (4 February) at the request of the Coastguard to assist in a search for a missing dog.

From the Douglas Coastguard report ‘At 14.55 today Douglas Coastguards were called to rescue a dog that had been washed out to sea from Garwick Beach while being exercised, on arrival on scene it was soon apparent that the dog was too far out by then for us to rescue, Douglas Lifeboat was also launched to assist with the rescue, unfortunately neither service was able to locate or recover the dog despite numerous sweeps of the coast between Garwick and Laxey Harbour’

As darkness fell the search was called off and the RNLI all-weather lifeboat Marine Engineer returned to station to be recovered and made ready again for service.

Today (5 February) the story has a happy ending as the dog has been found on the beach at Garwick alive and well, and apparently none the worse for its adventure.

Douglas RNLI lifeboat crew volunteers were paged today (10 January) at 3.55pm at the request of Douglas Coastguard.

Douglas Coastguard had been called out with other emergency services to a major multi-agency rescue to a motorist and their vehicle which had left the Marine Drive at Keristal and ended up on the beach.

The all-weather lifeboat, Marine Engineer, under the command of coxswain Edd Christian made its way to Port Soderick bay where it stood by off Keristal beach in case its services were required for a casualty evacuation by sea.

Volunteer crewmen James Betteridge and Michael Kaighen went ashore in the lifeboat’s rubber dinghy daughter boat to assist the other services’ personnel already on the beach.

After the one casualty from the vehicle had been recovered by a Coastguard Helicopter and transferred to Nobles Hospital for further treatment, the two crew ashore returned to the lifeboat which then made its way back to Douglas to be recovered to the boathouse and was made ready again for service by 7pm.