Friday 14th September 2007 - 16.28

Cullercoats Lifeboat was paged and launched in under 4 minutes to assist a group of 3 tourists who had become trapped on rocks at Sharpness Point, at the South End of Tynemouth Longsands. Tynemouth ALB was mustered 20 minutes earlier, and their inshore "Y boat" was approaching the casualties as Cullercoats Lifeboat arrived on scene, the Y Boat from Tynemouth picked up the casualties, just seconds before the rock they were huddled upon became submerged by the incoming tide.

Duration: 15 mins
Saved: 3

Boat Crew:
Robert Oliver
Paul Tooke
Tom Carr
Tom Bowie

Boat: Hylton Burdon - B811

The lifeboat was requested to assist a yacht which had broken down off Whitley Bay. More details soon.

Cullercoats Lifeboat was requested to search for a female allegedly missing from Seaton Delaval. Police research showed her phone calls to be from the Newbiggin area, and the ILB was tasked to search the foreshore from Blyth northwards. On report of the apparent casualty being found in a Newbiggin pub, the ILB was stood-down and returned to station.

Duration: 1 Hour
Saved: N/A

Boat Crew:
Robert Oliver
Mark Pendlington
Peter Clark
Neil Thackray

Boat: Hylton Burdon - B811

A report was received of a woman in the sea at the north end of Tynemouth Longsands. On arrival the woman was being helped ashore by friends. A crew member went ashore to assist while the TVLB and an ambulance arrived. The casualty was transferred to the care of the paramedics and the lifeboat was stood-down.

A pleasure boat with 7 anglers aboard was reported to have engine troubles half a mile off Whitley Bay Beach. ILB came alongside the vessel and established a tow. While under tow the casualty was able to "bump start" her engine and decided to continue fishing. The ILB was stood down and returned to station

Tuesday 7th August 2007 - 18.06

Cullercoats Lifeboat crew observed from the boathouse a stationary PWC and a person in the water making no attempt to re-board the craft. After observing for a few minutes the Operations Manager, ordered the launch of the lifeboat. Once on scene it was discovered the jet ski had broken-down and it's "crew" were attempting to get back to shore. The craft and its 2 male passengers were brought back to their launch site at Cullercoats Bay.

Skipper of the Laura June 2, a commercial fishing boat from Cullercoats with 2 aboard, reported his vessel to be in difficulties and in danger of sinking.
Cullercoats crew member heard the call, and initiated an immediate launch. The Tynemouth ALB was also mustered. The casualty had stemmed the flow of water and was able to be towed back to Cullercoats by the ILB and stood-by as the skipper carried out permanent repairs at her mooring before returning to station. Cullercoats Lifeboat was being inspected at the time and Divisional Inspector Andrew Ashton formed part of the crew.

Report of a small angling boat broken down East of Cullercoats. Lifeboat was launched and towed casualty to South Shields.

Lifeboat had just launched on exercise when it was diverted to St Mary's Lighthouse where 2 boys were stuck on cliff with sea below. Once of the scene the police were already on scene and assisting the teenagers up the cliff to safety. The lifeboat then returned to exercise.

Tuesday 31st July 2007 - 16.31

Lifeboat was stood-down before launching

2 swimmers and a surfer were in trouble at South end of Tynemouth Longsands. Due to technical problems with pager system some of the crews pagers did not activate. Though a crew was still mustered quickly and the Lifeboat launched into very rough conditions, once on the scene it was confirmed the two 13 year old swimmers were now out of the water, but the surfer still required assistance. The ILB crew recovered the surfer and his board and returned to station, recovering using the Rough Weather Recovery Net. The surfer did not required medical assistance.

Duration: 25 mins
Saved: 1

Boat Crew:
Robert Oliver
Peter Clark
Scott Jones
Robert Ayling

Boat: Hylton Burdon - B811

Cullercoats Lifeboat was paged in error by Coastguard, who planned to page our neighbouring station Tynemouth.

Initial reports from Humber Coastguard suggested a man had fell into the water at St Mary's Lighthouse, after suffering a fit. Once on the scene it was apparent the man had been removed from the sea by police, and was being transferred to paramedics. We later learned the casualty was diabetic and had a low sugar count. The man made a full recovery.

Robert Oliver and two of our crew, were by chance at the Lifeboat Station on an evening when a young male swimmer got into difficulties just outside the harbour calls. Due to the urgency needed for this call, the lifeboat was launched with only 2 crew and the only other available member at the time, Ben Bradshaw driving the tractor.

The crew had difficulty recovering the boy as his legs had become tangled in a lobster pot rope, once freed the lifeboat crew transferred the boy to a waiting ambulance.

Cullercoats Lifeboat rescued 3 people who had been jumping from the North pier at Cullercoats for over an hour and a half and got into difficulties. As a consequence they were cold and close to hypothermia. One of the casualties in particular was in a serious condition and unable to make it out of the water unaided. Once the lifeboat brought them ashore they were handed to the care of paramedics. This incident took place only 100 metres from the boathouse.

Duration: 30 mins
Saved: 3

Boat Crew:
Robert Oliver
Paul Tooke
Peter Clark
Gary Hawksford

Boat: Hylton Burdon - B811

Station crew observed a PWC in apparent difficulties in Browns Bay (200m north of the station). The ILB launched to investigate, and it was discovered the 3 people aboard the craft were angling in a spot which is deemed dangerous. The ILB crew advised the group and the lifeboat returned to station.

A person was reported to be in the water at Trow Point, South Shields. On arrival at the scene the Cullercoats Lifeboat was asked to confirm the casualty was out of the water and safely shore. The ILB did so and was stood-down.

Cullercoats Lifeboat was launched to search for a person with suspected self-harm tendencies. The ILB searched the beaches and rocks where the casualty was last seen. Shore helpers also searched in the caves and rocks around Cullercoats Bay and Tynemouth Longsands. The casualty was found safe and well by a shore-search team near the Grand Hotel, Tynemouth.

Duration: 30 mins
Saved: 1

Boat Crew:
Robert Oliver
Kris Wilkinson
Mark Pendlington
Neil Thackray

Boat: Hylton Burdon - B811

Following a 999 call from members of the public CG requested the launch of Cullercoats Lifeboat to investigate something that appeared to be a diver in distress. The "Casualty" proved to be a number of black balloons, which appeared, even to the trained eye to be a diver waving an arm. The balloons were dealt with and the ILB was stood down.

Friday 1st June 2007 - 16.33

Cullercoats Lifeboat was launched to the promenade directly north of the station, where a teenager who had been jumping into the sea with friends had become stuck on a stone platform 25ft up the sea wall. The lifeboat veered down as close as possible to the casualty and stood-by as members of the Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade winched the boy to safety from the road above.

Saturday 19th May 2007 - 12.50

Humber Coastguard requested the lifeboat to launch for the third consecutive day as reports were received of two canoeists in trouble off Tynemouth Longsands.

Reports suggested one of the canoeists had capsized and the other was being blown out to sea. The Lifeboat Crew quickly arrived on the scene and spoke to the casualties, both who confirmed they were out of any danger, and going to return to shore immediately.

Friday 18th May 2007 - 16.20

Cullercoats Lifeboat self-launched, after a local fisherman reported 2 people waving for help from a small speedboat 1.5 miles off Cullercoats Harbour.

The lifeboat crew quickly arrived on scene and towed the boat, which had suffered engine failure, back to Cullercoats Harbour.

Thursday 17th May 2007 - 16.45

A 10ft boat with 3 people aboard suffered engine-failure off Whitley Bay. Its' crew was unprepared for problems, and weren't carrying VHF, lifejackets or a mobile phone.

The Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade, who were patrolling the coastline, spotted the boats crew waving for help and drifting towards the beach. Cullercoats Lifeboat was requested and arrived on scene within 8 minutes, they proceeded to tow the vessel to its' launch site at the causeway of St Mary's Lighthouse.

The Lifeboat Crew and TVLB then recovered the boat onto its trailer, and the casualties were safely returned to shore.

Duration: 35 mins
Saved: 3

Boat Crew:
Robert Oliver
Paul Tooke
Tom Bowie
Carl Taylor

Boat: Hylton Burdon - B811

Tuesday 8th May 2007 - 18.13

Cullercoats Lifeboat was called to investigate a Jet-Ski with nobody apparently aboard - which was spotted by a worried walker at King Edwards Bay.

The lifeboat arrived quickly on the scene, at the South End of Tynemouth Longsands, and confirmed that the Jet-Ski was in fact a small diving boat, with its 3 crew engaged in diving from it.

After the lifeboat crew ensured that the divers were not in any trouble, the boat returned to station.

Sunday 22nd April 2007 - 17.17

A boat with engine trouble contacted Humber Coastguard, requesting help but whilst giving their position the call dropped-out. The Coastguard, concerned with the abruptly discontinued call launched Cullercoats Lifeboat to search the coast from Tynemouth to St Mary's Lighthouse where the boat was believed to be. After 15 minutes the boat was discovered 0.5 mile off Blyth by Blyth Lifeboat - who assisted the vessel into the harbour there.

Cullercoats Lifeboat was then released to return to station.

Sunday 15th April 2007 - 15.10

Cullercoats Lifeboat was launched to assist a speedboat which broke-down off Tynemouth. Once on scene it was discovered the boat was already being towed by another boat - so the Crew of the Hylton Burdon escorted both vessels into the Tyne.

Duration: 30 mins
Saved: 3

Boat Crew:
Robert Oliver
Paul Tooke
Robert Ayling
Neil Thackray

Boat: Hylton Burdon - B811

Monday 9th April 2007 - 19.10

The lifeboat was requested, but later stood-down, after a report was received from a worried local resident who saw a group of teenagers playing in the sea at Brown's Bay, Cullercoats. The Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade rushed to the scene and confirmed the group were safely out of the sea, before the boat was cleared for launching.

Saturday 7th April 2007 - 17.07

In the second call on the same day, the crew were paged to attend a incident at Seaton Sluice (2.5 miles up the coast), where a young surfer had got into difficulties whilst surfing off the beach there. The lifeboat crew were able to pick up the surfer and return him to shore. For a short time there was concern that another surfer was also involved but he was later confirmed to be safely ashore.

Saturday 7th April 2007 - 14.08

A 12ft speedboat with 4 persons aboard capsized on the North end of Tynemouth Longsands, while playing in the waves there. The 4 persons made their own way ashore, and were met by a Cullercoats Lifeboat shore-team who assisted them to Cullercoats lifeboat station where they were given treatment for shock and hypothermia. The Lifeboat crew proceeded to tow the upturned pleasure craft back into Cullercoats harbour where it was recovered onto its trailer with assistance from the RNLI tractor, after other methods of recovery failed.

Thursday 5th April 2007 - 13.10 Cullercoats Lifeboat was launched to assist a 20ft angling boat which had suffered electrical failure 2 miles off Cullercoats Harbour. The boat was towed back to it's berth in South Shields.

Sunday 18th February 2007 - 15.15

A group of elderly people became trapped on local beauty-spot St Mary's Lighthouse, after the tide came in surrounding the island.

The relief Cullercoats Lifeboat was launched and assisted the group from the island back to the mainland.

Duration: 30 mins
Saved: 4

Boat Crew:
Robert Oliver
Peter Clark
Ben Bradshaw

Boat: Peterborough
Beer Festival III

Friday 5th January 2007 - 14.40

A dramatic final service for the Atlantic 21.

A man in a state of distress jumped from the North Pier in Cullercoats Bay - in front of a large gathering of crew and RNLI inspectors on-hand for the arrival of new Atlantic 85 "Hylton Burdon".

Crew member Mark Pendlington quickly saw what was happening and rushed to the end of the pier, jumped in and kept the man afloat - who was acting aggressively and under the influence of alcohol.

Meanwhile the Atlantic 21 was launched- the crew brought the casualty aboard and returned him to the lifeboat station where he was passed into the care of Paramedics and the Police.