11th January 2012
Long time Ramsgate RNLI supporter and fund raiser dies.
 Sadly we have to report the death of Lily Burgess who has been an active member of the Ramsgate Ladies Lifeboat Guild/ Ramsgate RNLI Fund Raising Branch for 34 years, 11 of which she served as chairperson.
Lily died in Margate Hospital at the turn of the year after suffering several months of deteriorating health. She will always be remembered for the enthusiasm and drive she brought to the committee.
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11th January 2012
Cheque for £200 received from KMFM Radio
 Ramsgate RNLI were pleased to welcome local KMFM Radio breakfast show presenter, Johnny Lewis, to their boathouse on Tuesday (10th. January) and to receive a cheque from the radio station for £200.
Johnny, a long-time and active supporter of both the Isle of Thanet’s RNLI Lifeboat Stations, had recommended Ramsgate’s volunteer local press officer, John Ray, to presenter colleague Webbo for inclusion in his Sunday morning “Treasure Hunt” show. The programme generated money for a chosen charity by finding locations and items in the Kent area and, on this occasion Ramsgate RNLI were the lucky recipients.
Pictured (left to right) are Cox’n Ian Cannon, LPO John Ray, presenter Johnny Lewis and Mechanic Phil Mace.
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13th November 2011
Thanet Lifeguard Club present cheque to Ramsgate RNLI
 Members of Thanet Lifeguard Club visited Ramsgate Lifeboat Station on Sunday, 13th. November to hand over a cheque for £135.00 raised by sponsorship of members taking part in the Club’s annual Ramsgate to Broadstairs swim.
The swim took place on 17th. August and entrants ranged in age from 7 to 64. All entrants completed the swim which was carefully organised to ensure their full support in, what turned out to be, difficult sea conditions.
Pictured on the stern of Ramsgate RNLI’s Trent class lifeboat Esme Anderson are the Lifeguard Club’s President Vicki Wilkinson presenting Ramsgate RNLI Cox’n Ian Cannon with the cheque accompanied by Club members and their Training Officer (and Ramsgate RNLI volunteer crewman) Neil Morgan.
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30th October 2011
Volunteers from the Historic Lifeboat Collection, Chatham visit Ramsgate RNLI
 Members of the volunteer group that supports the RNLI’s Historic Lifeboat Collection at Chatham Historic Dockyard (pictured) visited Ramsgate RNLI Lifeboat Station on Sunday, 30th. October.
The group members, who carry out the maintenance and restoration work to the lifeboats held in the Historic Collection, had a chance to have a close up look at Ramsgate RNLI’s station boats, the all-weather Trent class "Esme Anderson" and the inshore Atlantic 75 class "Bob Turnbull", and the boathouse. Ramsgate Cox’n Ian Cannon, Mechanic Phil Mace and a many of the crew were on hand to have a chat about their work and learn more about the Historic Collection.
As an added attraction, when the RNLI’s Historic Lifeboat volunteers arrived at the lifeboat station they were able to watch the all-weather lifeboat return from an earlier call with a casualty in tow.
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8th September 2011
Ramsgate ILB Crew rescue kite surfer
 Ramsgate RNLI’s inshore lifeboat, the Atlantic 75 class Bob Turnbull, launched in deteriorating weather conditions at 6.10pm on Monday, 5th. September, following a report by a member of the public of a person in apparent difficulty in the sea off Pegwell Village, Ramsgate.
On arrival at the scene the volunteer RNLI lifeboat crew found that the male casualty had managed to scramble onto rocks at the base of a very high wall surrounding a long-abandoned garden which had been built below the cliffs and although clear of the water was unable to progress any further. In the confused breaking seas one of the volunteer crew managed to get ashore to check on the casualty who, it transpired, was a kite surfer who, since parting company with his kite, had been in the sea for about an hour and, as well as suffering cuts and grazes to his side was in the early stages of hypothermia and drifting in and out of consciousness.
In view of the casualty’s state of health and the sea conditions it was considered safer to extract him by land and Kent Fire and Rescue Service were called in. They gained access to the garden area via the “Sir Stanley Grey” pub/restaurant which is built against the cliff face and with the aid if their ladder managed to get the casualty over the wall and to safety ashore where he was immediately transferred to an awaiting ambulance.
With the combination of emergency services working together to safely effect the rescue it was also considered safer for the volunteer crew member, who came ashore, to return to the boathouse by land and he readily accepted a “lift” from the Coastguard mobile and in so doing caused a bit of a stir when, as a fully dressed RNLI crew member, he encountered a wedding reception taking place in the pub/restaurant.
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21st August 2011
Visits to Ramsgate Lifeboats
 All of us at Ramsgate RNLI would like to thank everyone who has supported us in
recent days at both Broadstairs Water Gala and our Station's Annual Open Day. At both events we were amazed by the number of people who came to see us - exceeding 1,100 in all and the generous donations they made. We hope that everyone who wanted to enjoy a close up look at our boats was able to do so!
Luckily neither lifeboat was called out during the events but just as Sunday's Open Day was drawing to a close the inshore lifeboat was launched to assist a yacht that had run aground off Joss Bay, Broadstairs. The yacht was successfully towed off the sand bank without incurring any damage and was able to go on its way.
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7th August 2011
Come and see Ramsgate Lifeboats
 Come along to Ramsgate’s Royal Harbour and visit Ramsgate RNLI at the Lifeboat Station’s annual “Open Day” on Saturday 20th. August 2011 from 10.30am.
There will be a chance for all to have a look around the Boathouse, buy RNLI souvenirs, meet some of the volunteer lifeboat crew and have a close look at the station’s two RNLI lifeboats, the all-weather Trent class Esme Anderson and the inshore Atlantic 75 class Bob Turnbull - call outs permitting!!!
Also, from 2.00pm the lifeboats will be launching to accompany the annual Fishing Boat Race between Ramsgate and Broadstairs - an event which, in itself, usually provides something of a spectacle within Ramsgate Outer Harbour.
In addition to the “Open Day” the RNLI Ramsgate Lifeboats are due to attend Broadstairs’ Annual Water Gala on Wednesday 17th. August 2011 when they will be moored alongside Broadstairs Jetty from approximately 12.30pm, providing another opportunity for a close up look at the boats and a chat with volunteer crew members.
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16th May 2011
Farewell Visit to Ramsgate RNLI
 Members of Ramsgate RNLI’s lifeboat crew welcomed their previous station all-weather lifeboat, the 47ft. Tyne class Kenneth Thelwall II (pictured) when it arrived in Ramsgate Harbour during the afternoon of Sunday (15th. May).
Since leaving Ramsgate in 1994, and after a brief spell in the RNLI’s reserve fleet, the lifeboat had, since 1996, served as the station boat at Walton and Frinton RNLI Lifeboat Station in Essex, where it had recently been replaced by a new 16m. Tamar class RNLI all-weather lifeboat.
A crew from Walton and Frinton Lifeboat Station were taking the Kenneth Thelwall II on its final journey under the RNLI flag and were staying overnight in Ramsgate. Their ultimate destination was the RNLI Headquarters in Poole Harbour, Dorset where the lifeboat, which was built in 1989, was due to be sold out of the RNLI service. |
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10th May 2011
Retired LOM receives Service Certificate
 At a meeting on Monday evening (9th. May) Geoff Tulley was presented with a certificate from the RNLI thanking him for his 20 years of voluntary service - 18 of them as Lifeboat Operations Manager (LOM - originally known as Honorary Secretary) with Ramsgate Lifeboat.
The Certificate was presented by the RNLI's South East Divisional Inspector Andrew Ashton (pictured left) who thanked Geoff for his years of dedicated service. Although now retired from his LOM role Geoff is maintaining an active connection with Ramsgate RNLI.
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7th March 2011
Actor Steffan Rhodri filming with Ramsgate RNLI
 Stage, TV and film actor Steffan Rhodri made his latest appearance aboard Ramsgate RNLI's Trent class all-weather lifeboat Esme Anderson and Atlantic 75 inshore lifeboat Bob Turnbull on Sunday (7th. March) whilst filming part of a Welsh language TV series entitled From Little Wales.
Steffan (pictured centre in dry suit and helmet with Ramsgate RNLI lifeboat Cox'n Ian Cannon and his crew), known to many through his appearances as Dave Coaches in the TV series Gavin and Stacey and the Harry Potter films, is fronting the programmes to be shown on the Welsh language S4C channel. The series, which has been filmed in many parts of the world, focuses on a variety of things designed, developed and/or manufactured in Wales and used successfully outside the country. The RNLI was selected to appear in the series as users of Water Rescue Training Dummies manufactured by Ruth Lee Ltd. in North Wales. The dummies, which are referred to by the name of Fred by the lifeboat crew, replicate an unconscious person in size, weight and reaction.
Steffan was filmed at sea on the lifeboats taking part in the recovery of the dummy and demonstrating how RNLI lifeboat crews are trained in the recovery of people from the sea using the dummy. Ramsgate RNLI Cox'n Ian Cannon said that the dummy had been introduced to the lifeboat station some 6 years ago and had considerably helped training by so accurately replicating the feel of an actual person. |
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25th February 2011
Ramsgate RNLI Cox'n opens new store
 Ramsgate RNLI's Cox'n, Ian Cannon, was invited this morning to officially open the town's new Tesco Express store.
Having assisted store manager, Stuart Welsh, to symbolically "cut the ribbon" and declare the new store officially open Ian (right) was presented with a cheque for £500 to the RNLI by Stuart on behalf of Tesco's.
Also pictured at the ribbon cutting ceremony are Ramsgate RNLI Crew Member Clive Nicholls (right) and Deputy Launching Authority (DLA) Ray Noble.
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6th February 2011
New Ramsgate Lifeboat page on Facebook
As some of you may be aware the Ramsgate Lifeboat has a group on Facebook but due to new developments, it is now suggested that charitable organisations should use Facebook pages instead of groups. For this reason we have now set up a page for the Ramsgate station but unfortunately it is not possible to move the group members over to this new page. We therefore hope that the group members will carry on supporting us on the new page and other Facebook users will join us as well by clicking the “Like” button below.
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17th January 2011
Ramsgate RNLI lifeboats in Goodwin Sands rescue
 Having not long returned from a training exercise on Sunday morning (16th. January) both of Ramsgate RNLI's lifeboats, the all-weather (ALB) Trent class Esme Anderson and the inshore (ILB) Atlantic 75 Bob Turnbull, were launched again at 1.30pm to assist a yacht that had run aground on the Goodwin Sands - the notorious sandbank off the East Kent Coast.
The 36ft. yacht with 5 people on board had left Ramsgate Harbour during the morning but after heading some 4.5 miles in a north-easterly direction had run firmly aground on the Goodwin Sands on a falling tide. On the lifeboats' arrival at the scene it was quickly ascertained that whilst the yacht and its crew were in no immediate danger the shallow breaking seas around the yacht would present some danger to all concerned should a rescue by lifeboat be attempted.
It was agreed with the Coastguard that the best course of action was to await the next rising tide and attempt to tow the yacht off the Sands. As this was not going to be until after nightfall it was felt the yacht's crew would be in additional danger if the yacht had been damaged and started to sink after coming clear of the sandbank with the lifeboats carrying out a rescue in pitch darkness. Consequently, a rescue helicopter was called in from RAF Wattisham and all 5 of the yacht's crew members were lifted off at 3.40pm and taken safely ashore.
 At 6.10pm, with the tide having risen, the ILB managed to get a tow line aboard the yacht and bring it clear of the Sands. However, it was immediately apparent that the yacht was beginning to sink at such a speed that there was no chance to save it so the only possible action was to release the tow line and note the position to report to the Coastguard. It was thought that, as often happens in such circumstances, the yacht's keel had been badly damaged in running aground and by the action of the Sands.
The lifeboats returned to Ramsgate where they were refueled and ready for service again by 7.30pm.
Photos Clive Nicholls
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