Home   News   Article

WATCH: Thurso lifeboat called out over concerns of 'life raft' at sea in Boxing Day shout





The Taylors returning with the object on board.
The Taylors returning with the object on board.

The Thurso lifeboat was called out on Boxing Day after a member of the public spotted what they thought might be an emergency life raft off Strathy Point.

HM Coastguard received a call from the concerned person, who had been looking through binoculars from the point and was worried an object in the water may have been a small orange raft possibly with a person in it.

The local Coastguard team was called out and the crew of the Thurso RNLI lifeboat were paged, with The Taylors launching at 11.10am on Monday.

The unknown object in the sea was thought to be a life boat at first sighting.
The unknown object in the sea was thought to be a life boat at first sighting.

Local Coastguard teams also attended the area and the lifeboat arrived on scene at 11.45am and started a search approximately two miles offshore.

The reported 'life boat' was spotted and from a distance the crew initially thought there was a person on board, but it turned out to be an unknown object.

The object was recovered and the lifeboat returned to Scrabster, arriving back at 1.05pm.

The Taylors was then refuelled and made ready for service.

A spokesman for the Thurso RNLI said: "This particular call out was a false alarm with good intent. We would encourage members of the public to report anything they think is suspicious or if they think someone is in difficulty at sea to the Coastguard on 999.

"Items floating at sea can be a hazard to shipping, especially in the dark or poor visibility and should be reported. We would far rather turn out to something like this than not be called."

Two crew members take the object ashore.
Two crew members take the object ashore.
Coxswain Gordon Munro takes The Taylors alongside the harbour at Scrabster.
Coxswain Gordon Munro takes The Taylors alongside the harbour at Scrabster.

Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.



This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies - Learn More