HM Coastguard issue killcord safety advice after two men thrown from speedboat
HM Coastguard has issued important killcord safety advice after two men were thrown from their speedboat earlier this afternoon.
At around 2.25pm today (12 July) HM Coastguard received a number of 999 calls reporting that two men had been thrown from a speed boat which then continued unmanned until it crashed into the sea wall at Minnis Bay Margate. The two men were rescued by the RNLI Lifeguards.
At around 2.25pm today (12 July) HM Coastguard received a number of 999 calls reporting that two men had been thrown from a speed boat which then continued unmanned until it crashed into the sea wall at Minnis Bay Margate. The two men were rescued by the RNLI Lifeguards.
Margate
Coastguard Rescue Team, Margate RNLI lifeboat, Minnis Bay RNLI Lifeguards and Kent
Police were on scene and the two men - who were wearing lifejackets - were recovered from the water by the lifeguards. It would appear at this stage that the two
people have not sustained any serious injuries.
Tony
Evans, HM Coastguard Maritime Operations Specialist said: ‘These two
men have had a very lucky escape. Although they were wearing lifejackets, it would appear that they had a kill
cord on the engine but neither of them were wearing it. With a busy
beach nearby, the circumstances could have been very different, or indeed
tragic, if the vessel had not crashed into the wall.'
HM
Coastguard offers this safety advice regarding kill cords.
The kill cord as the name suggests, is designed to kill your engine in the event of you
going overboard. All owners and drivers of open powerboats, personal watercraft
and RIBs should ensure that if their boat is fitted with a kill switch and kill
cord, it is correctly used. On a powerboat the kill cord should be attached
securely around the thigh and on a personal watercraft it should be attached to
the buoyancy aid. Attach your kill cord before the engine is started, but
certainly before the boat is put in gear where safe to do so. Stop the engine
before transferring the kill cord to another driver.
Always check your kill
cord works at the start of each day or session and remember to replace it when
there are signs of ageing, or wear and tear or it starts to lose spiral
tension. When replacing kill cords, buy the manufacturers genuine replacement
kill cords.
Do not leave kill cords
out in the elements. Extremes of temperature and UV light will harm the kill
cord in the long term.