SUMMER proved to be a busy period for the volunteers at the Salcombe RNLI Lifeboat Station, launching 22 times and assisting 26 people.

Between July and August the Salcombe all-weather and inshore lifeboats were launched to various incidents, including missing kayakers, sailing dinghies in ­difficulty, yachts entangled with fishing pot buoys, pleasure craft suffering mechanical failure, medical emergencies and a yacht that had lost its rudder.

The year started out rather slowly compared with previous years, but the summer visitors to Salcombe and the surrounding areas certainly kept the 36 ­volunteer crew members at the station on their toes in case their pagers alerted them to someone requiring assistance.

In the first six months of the year they launched 14 times, but in August alone they launched on a total of 13 occasions.

The most common call-out over the two-month period was to kayakers, with the lifeboats launched eight times to five ­separate incidents. Both boats were launched on three of those occasions due to the severity of the incidents.

During the summer months, when the town’s visitor ­numbers are at their maximum and when volunteer crews find themselves working long hours, both lifeboats were launched at the same time on four occasions, which means the maximum numbers of crew are required, with seven on the all-weather lifeboat and three on its inshore counterpart.

Chris Winzar, coxswain at Salcombe Lifeboat Station, said: ‘It’s been a busier than usual summer for us, which has only been possible through the ­commitment and dedication

of our volunteer crew, from launching authorities to shore crew, and of course our sea-going volunteers.

‘Whether the pager wakes our volunteers and their families at 1.30am or at 7pm in the evening, they’ll selflessly attend the ­station to help those who require our assistance.

‘A special thank you must be given not only to all of our ­families for their support, but also to the local employers who allow their employees to attend call-outs, often during busy times of the working day.’

So far this year Salcombe RNLI lifeboats have been launched 39 times, with the inshore lifeboat Joan Bate launching 19 times and the all-weather lifeboat The Baltic Exchange III 20 times.