Bridlington RNLI team called out in dense fog to aid of man taken ill on drilling platform 26 miles out to sea
Bridlington RNLI volunteers were called out in dense fog to the aid of a man who had taken ill on a drilling platform 26 miles off the coast.
The crew was called into action on Friday December 27 after receiving a launch request, at 8.12pm, from the HM Coastguard.
Information was received by the volunteer lifeboat crew that a male had been taken ill on a drilling platform 26 nautical miles from Flamborough Head.
Normally the HM Coastguard would deploy their search and rescue helicopter but this was not possible due to the weather conditions.
The Bridlington RNLI all-weather lifeboat (ALB) Antony Patrick Jones, with a crew of six, was launched shortly after the tasking request and set off at good speed to get to the platform.
Thick fog had engulfed the East Yorkshire Coast making visibility very poor, and the sea state was slight with a light south westerly wind blowing.
The skill of the volunteer crew soon had the ALB alongside the drilling platform by 10pm.
The casualty was removed from the platform and taken onboard the lifeboat, which departed the scene at 11pm and made its way back through the fog towards Bridlington harbour.
Upon reaching Bridlington, the casualty was handed over to the waiting ambulance, where he was taken to hospital for medical attention.
The volunteer crew onboard the ALB returned to the beach, was recovered, washed down and refuelled by 1am the following morning.
Volunteer Andy Rodgers, who was the navigator on the night, said: “Due to the dense fog, visibility was drastically diminished which made navigation of the lifeboat critical.
"We train regularly for such occasions so we are ready to act when such weather conditions prevail.
"All the crew step up with increased lookouts, extra vigilance on the radar and increased position checks to ensure we are staying on route to the casualty and the same on the way home again.”