Helensburgh’s RNLI team have issued a warning to locals after the lifeboat was called out to four emergencies in just three days.

The callouts on June 16 , 17 and 18 take the total number of alerts for the local crew so far this year to nearly 30 - compared with around 30 callouts for the whole of 2022.

On Friday, June 16, the coastguard requested the launch of the lifeboat at around 11am, asking the crew to go to a 46-foot motor yacht which had broken down at the mouth of the River Leven in Dumbarton.

The yacht had anchored and was in no immediate danger, but the lifeboat crew assisted the yacht into a berth on the river before returning to their station at Rhu Marina.

On Saturday, the lifeboat was launched in response to reports of a capsized canoeist facing difficulty in the water at Gourock.

The lifeboat crew raced to the scene but the canoeist had managed to safely reach the shore before the crew’s arrival.

Then, at around 6pm on Sunday, June 18, the lifeboat was launched in response to reports of two people on a windsurfer struggling to get to the shore in an offshore wind at Kidston Point.

The crew carried out a search of the area and found that the two people had been rescued by a yacht and taken to Rhu Marina.

 

The final call of the weekend came at around 11.30pm on Sunday, when the coastguard asekd the lifeboat to launch in response to a report of two people setting out on a trip from the Holy Loch to Cardwell Bay without lifejackets or navigation lights.

The lifeboat reached the vessel, but the two people declined any assistance, so the crew stood by until the vessel was seen to reach a boat slip at Cardwell Bay.

The lifeboat was stood down and returned to the station, where it was refuelled and ready for service by 1pm.

Howard Morrison, the RNLI's local operations manager, said: "We have been particularly busy over the past few weeks.

“As the warm weather continues and many people are enjoying more activities on the water, please ensure you have the necessary safety equipment and have carried out maintenance checks on your craft or vessel.

“Our crew are trained to save lives at sea and are on call 24 days of the week 365 days of the year. Support us to help save lives at sea.”

To read more about the RNLI or make a donation visit: www.rnli.org.