18th October 2017. NCI Lyme Bay joined with the RNLI at Lyme Regis for a joint exercise this weekend.

An exercise at sea to further improve radio communication skills between the volunteers of the National Coastwatch Institution at Lyme Bay and the crew of the RNLI’s inshore lifeboat in Lyme Regis was staged on Sunday. Scenarios involving a kayaker in difficulties and ‘man overboard’ were used to enable the Lyme Bay National Coastwatch teams at the look-out stations at Charmouth and Burton Bradstock to practice directing the lifeboat crew towards an incident.

Lifeboat Operations Manager Nick Marks said afterwards: “This was a very useful exercise in developing the working relationship between the lifeboat crew and our local NCI lookouts. Close co-operation between both teams is essential in promoting our overall goal of saving lives at sea.”

David Last, deputy station manager of the Lyme Bay Coastwatch lookout at Burton Bradstock, said: “The exercise achieved its aims for us and we were very pleased with the result, and in particular our involvement with the scenario to rescue a capsized kayaker.”

The photograph (courtesy of The Midweek Herald) shows kayaker Alex Phillips being 'rescued' by Lyme Regis lifeboat crew members during Sunday's exercise with NCI Lyme Bay.