The Antibes Lifeboat Station is asking for your kind donations to help it reach its goal to purchase an inshore lifeboat. This faster lightweight inshore rescue boat will be able to launch any time of the day allowing it to respond to rescue calls quicker with as little as 3 crew members saving time money and lives.
Whether out on the water for work or for pleasure none of us know when we or someone we know may need the help of a lifeboat and the brave team of people that make this amazing service possible.
Thats why we here at YPI CREW are supporting Charlie Stitt chief officer of MY MALAHNE in fundraising for a second lifeboat for the SNSM Antibes Lifeboat Station. All funds raised will go towards the purchase of a new semirigid inflatable to answer more rescue calls quicker saving lives.
Why is this new inshore lifeboat needed
The Antibes lifeboat is the largest on its stretch of coastline on call 247 365 days of the year and responding to all types of call outs from brokendown vessels and cardiac arrests to more recent events such as a collision where a 9year old boy lost his life.
The current Antibes lifeboat is the largest in the fleet requiring a minimum of 6 crew to launch on any rescue operation a reality that is proving more and more difficult to achieve as many of the boats volunteers at work throughout the day meaning they are only available to answer calls after 1700hr outside of the peak hours of many of its calls.
As a large vessel it is also expensive to run and with around 70 of incidents taking place just 2 nautical miles off of the coastline launching such a big lifeboat is not always costeffective or practical requiring instead a vessel smaller than 12metres to successfully carry out the rescue.
Charlie said After a number of years its become apparent that Antibes needs a more versatile lifeboat to serve the needs of the town and all those who venture out onto the water.
Currently Antibes has a large lifeboat that requires a 6man team to go out to offer any assistance and this can be difficult for all the volunteers who work. Sometimes a 3man team would be sufficient to carry out the rescue if a smaller boat was available.
We have therefore started a GoFundMe page to raise money to purchase a new boat but we have a long way to reach our goal. Any small donations the Antibes yachting and business communities can offer will be warmly welcomed.
Large or small please visit the GoFundMe page to learn more and make a donation.
If you need assistance or coastal rescue from the lifeboat service call 196 by phone or VHF channel 16.
Thank you for supporting the Antibes Lifeboat Service.
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