'Busier than ever' year for RNLI in Manx waters

Four lives were saved in a "busier than ever" year for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution which saw 40 callouts in Manx waters in 2024.

The organisation saw its number of launches around the island's coast increase from 31 in 2023, when two lives were saved.

The majority of the callouts involved power boats, sailing boats, or other leisure crafts like paddle boards or kayaks.

An RNLI spokesman said across the whole of the British Isles lifeboats were launched over 9,100 times last year, making it the fourth-busiest year in its 201-year history.

The lifesaving organisation celebrated its 200th anniversary in 2024 with a number of events on the Isle of Man, which is considered the birthplace of the charity.

Douglas and Port St Mary received the most callouts, with each of the island's five stations seeing a rise in launches.

The RNLI also said more than three-quarters of callouts were to incidents less than five nautical miles from land and the number of people helped rose from 27 in 2023 to 53 last year.

As part of local fundraising efforts, the annual guided walkout to the Tower of Refuge takes place on 27 April.

The landmark on Conister Rock was built in 1832 and was the idea of RNLI founder Sir William Hillary, who lived in Douglas, to offer shelter to crews of vessels wrecked on the nearby reef.

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