A training exercise for Teignmouth Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) turned into a live rescue on Sunday (February 1) as the crew was diverted to recover a rowing team just outside the Teign estuary.

The volunteer crew were called to assist a Seine rowing boat that was unable to get back into the River Teign to Shaldon after losing its rudder.

There seven crew on board the Seine boat were struggling to make headway against a strong outgoing tide.

The Seine boat was taken under tow to Shaldon, where it was safely recovered with assistance from the rowing crew on shore. The Teignmouth lifeboat then returned to resume the training exercise.

The shout marked a milestone for trainee crew member Charlie Maddocks, as it was his first lifeboat shout since beginning his boat crew training. Charlie joined the station last July and recently passed out as shore crew in November. Since then, he has progressed to become Teignmouth RNLIs latest boat crew trainee and a spokesperson for the charity said he is making excellent progress through the training schedule.

‘It was an important milestone for me. I’ve learned a lot since joining the station, and being part of a shout with a positive outcome really reinforces why the training is so important, and how quickly changing conditions can impact water users,’ Charlie said.

Lifeboat Operations Manager, Andy Lilburn extended his congratulations to Charlie. ‘It’s always a great moment for our trainee crew to mark their first shout. In this case, it was a positive one all round, with a good outcome for everyone involved. It’s great to see Charlie progressing so well, and we all wish him every success as he continues his training,’ Andy commented.

Image from previous exercise, from left to right Will Burton Jnr, Charlie Maddocks, Will Burton, James Stoyle