Byline: Lochinver RNLI Lifeboat launched shortly before 11:50 am on Tuesday 14th May 2013, within 4 minutes of the crew being paged for the shout by the Stornoway Coastguard.

Page Content: Two persons, one in an open canoe and the other in a kayak, were reported by the Coastguard’s Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Stornoway as having difficulties in Gruinard Bay and a red flare had been sighted.

One of the two men, both whom were staying in the area on holiday, decided to take his canoe to sea off the beach at Mellon Udrigle on the west side of Gruinard Bay. Unfortunately his open Canadian style canoe caught too much of the wind and he soon found himself being blown out into the bay. His friend could see the canoe was having difficulty in the strong winds and decided to join him in his kayak. However, despite their best efforts for over an hour, the pair found themselves unable to make any headway back towards the beach against the wind, which by that time was blowing offshore at up to 25 miles per hour.

The men, seeing people watching from the beach, then tied their craft together and set off a red flare, recognised at sea as being an emergency distress signal. They also carried a mobile phone with them and used it to call the coastguard on 999 for assistance, resulting in the launch of the Lochinver lifeboat.

The lifeboat arrived in Gruinard Bay and located the two men about 40 minutes later, after a slightly rough passage down through the Summer Isles in a choppy sea. As the lifeboat came into view, the pair let off an orange smoke flare, also recognised at sea as an emergency distress signal. This made locating them significantly easier for the crew of the lifeboat and the two men were quickly taken aboard and their craft recovered from the water. Appropriate casualty care was administered in the form of a number of chocolate biscuits as both men were warm in their dry suits and appeared to be fit and well and in good spirits, just a little peckish.

The coxswain of the lifeboat on the day, Bruce MacKenzie, said; ”The two men were prepared for being at sea; wearing dry suits and carrying lifejackets and flares to attract attention. The only other equipment they might consider carrying in future is a VHF radio as an essential piece of kit for communicating at sea beyond the range of mobile phones.”
 
The lifeboat then returned closer in to the beach at Mellon Udrigle and the two men were taken ashore by the lifeboat’s smaller inflatable boat and landed on the beach, followed by their canoe and kayak.

When asked what his plans were for the rest of the afternoon, the canoeist insisted he would not be going back to sea and instead would be walking his dog very much on dry land.

The lifeboat then departed Gruinard Bay at 01:45 pm and returned to Lochinver and was tied up alongside her own pontoon ready for service again at 03:50 pm.

Byline: Sailing around the Isle of Wight is a challenge for any mariner, but it was one that disabled sailor Natasha Lambert took on with gusto to raise money for the RNLI.

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She’s now being recognised for her efforts with the RNLI Youth Supporter Award, to be presented at a ceremony in London on 23 May.

Natasha, 15, from Cowes on the Isle of Wight, has athetoid cerebral palsy which affects all of her limbs and speech. Using a specially adapted boat, Miss Isle Too, which allows Natasha to steer by sucking and blowing into a tube, she undertook a round-the-Island voyage on 9 September last year. She has so far raised over £17,000 for the RNLI and two other charities close to her heart.

Natasha was inspired to raise money for the RNLI after her sailing instructor was injured during a boat race and rescued by the charity’s volunteer crew.

She said: ‘Cowes lifeboat helped my friend last year who was involved in an accident – so now it’s my chance to help them!’

Mark Southwell, Lifeboat Operations Manager at Cowes Lifeboat Station, said: ‘Through Natasha’s fundraising our lifeboat station has been equipped with a new kitchen – no lifeboat station works without a nice strong cup of tea, so it’s undoubtedly one of the most important parts. We’re very grateful for that.

‘The crew have become firm friends with both Natasha and her family. We owe an awful lot to Tash, and we just hope we never have to meet professionally!’

On the day of the challenge, the crew from Cowes launched their inshore lifeboat for the final leg of Natasha’s journey, and held up a banner welcoming her back to the harbour, accompanied by the cheers of a large crowd.

Natasha’s mother Amanda summed up the emotion of the day: ‘The moment Natasha crossed the finish line, there wasn’t a dry eye on any of the boats.’ 

But Natasha won’t stop there – her next adventure is to cross the Channel from Dover to Calais in Miss Isle Too in July of this year. You can find out more about her adventure via her website, www.missisle.com.  

ENDS

Notes to editors
• The RNLI’s annual presentation of awards takes place at the Barbican Centre in London on 23 May. Medals for gallantry are presented to selected crew, volunteers and lifeguards. Fundraisers and corporate partners are also recognised for their contribution to the charity.
• A short film about Natasha’s story will be available on the RNLI’s Press Centre after the awards ceremony at 2.30pm on 23 May.
• Other recipients of RNLI Supporter Awards will feature on RNLI social media channels in the coming weeks, and will use the hashtag #ProudOfOurCrowd. 
• Photo shows Natasha with her boat, Miss Isle Too. Please credit RNLI.
Natasha Lambert
• The total raised by Natasha in her round-the-island voyage was £17,758.47.
• The other two charities that Natasha’s total fund will be split between are Isle of Wight Scope and the Ellen MacArthur Trust.
• Follow Natasha’s progress at www.missisle.com

RNLI media contacts
For further information, please contact:
• Lauren Hockey, Public Relations Officer, on 01202 336194 or by email at lauren_hockey@rnli.org.uk