Hartlepool RNLI helped 76 people back to shore and saved one life during busy 2018

Officials at Hartlepool RNLI have thanked the people of the town for their help after dealing with dozens of call-outs in 2018 and spending hours at sea on lifesaving missions.
Hartlepool RNLI inshore lifeboat and volunteer crew heading out to sea. Picture Tom Collins/RNLI.Hartlepool RNLI inshore lifeboat and volunteer crew heading out to sea. Picture Tom Collins/RNLI.
Hartlepool RNLI inshore lifeboat and volunteer crew heading out to sea. Picture Tom Collins/RNLI.

RNLI crews from Hartlepool were called out on 50 shouts in 2018 and spent 61 and a half hours at sea.

A spokesman for Hartlepool RNLI said: "This means that between them the team have spent at least 643 hours afloat on service and over 700 hours ashore supporting these services, this is without factoring in any time for training.

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"Over those shouts we have had a mixture of vessels, missing persons, men overboard, medivacs, mechanical failures and people in the water. Our crew has assisted 76 people back to shore and this year have one confirmed life saved."

On the crew front two two new crew passed out of their probation periods, there are two new probationary crew, and one new deputy launching authority (DLA).

Crew members and friends also cycled from Hartlepool to Edinburgh, raising over £10,000 in the Coast and Castle Cycle Adventure 2018 in aid of Hartlepool RNLI.

The spokesman added: "As always we are overwhelmed by all of your kind messages, from those wishing us a safe return from a callout to the funny ones on some of our pictures that we post, and would like to say again that we couldn't do this without your support and donations to the RNLI.

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"We would also like to say thanks to some of the other agencies we have worked alongside this year : Redcar RNLI, RNLI - Sunderland, Humber Coastguard, Hartlepool Coastguard, Seaham Coastguard, Redcar Coastguard, Cleveland Police, Cleveland Fire Brigade, North East Ambulance, Great North Air Ambulance.

"It’s been a tough year for our lifeboat family and our thoughts are always with the ones that are no longer with us, so more than ever we express our love and appreciation to our families and friends for your support through all the training, events and shouts, they are the ones that sit up after the pager sounds, not knowing where we are or what we are actually up to, and I am sure sometimes that they would rather not know.

"Thank you all and best wishes for 2019."