|
 |
          |
|
June
2004 Just eight days after going into service, the vessel saved two teenagers from the treacherous mud flats on Sunday June 6th, 2004 - as shown in these exclusive photos. Shaken, cold and wet, the stranded youths were delighted to see the Spirit of Lelaina hovercraft speeding towards them.
But half a mile from safety they sank waist-deep in mud. Beginning to panic, they were forced to clamber back into their dinghy to take refuge. A member of the public saw the event unfold and alerted the coastguard.
As a precaution, a helicopter was also scrambled from Barnstaple, but it proved unnecessary. The hovercraft stopped within 10 feet of the teenagers, enabling the mud rescue team from Burnham-On-Sea coastguard to pull them to safety.
The dramatic rescues were just a few miles from Berrow Beach, where five-year-old Lelaina Hall tragically drowned in the mud in 2002.
BARB, the Burnham Area Rescue Boat group, which runs the hovercraft, said the Spirit of Leliana had been an 'invaluable' asset, adding: "Everybody has worked really hard to get it going - it has proved invaluable in its first week of operation." Images courtesy of hovercraft team member Pete Emery. RELATED
LINKS:
|
BURNHAM
COMMUNITY TOURISM
INFORMATION BURNHAM
TRAVEL
|
||
 |
|||
Burnham's
hovercraft flew into action in its first major call-out to avert tragedy
near Brean Down.
The
teenagers, aged 15 and 19, had been paddling out from Brean Sands in
their dinghy when they decided to walk back to shore.
Luckily,
the Burnham-On-Sea hovercraft was on exercise at the time and within
minutes was on its way to save the youngsters. 
As
the shaken teenagers left to return home, incredibly the hovercraft
went out again to bring back five people who were almost one-and-a-half
miles out from shore near Berrow, seemingly unaware of the rapid tides
which can so quickly turn a day at the beach into a tragedy.
It
was because of her loss that readers of the Western Daily Press
newspaper generously donated £115,000 to help fund the Burnham-On-Sea
hovercraft which is able to fly over water, sand and mud.