Did you know that if your boat breaks down, you don’t have to call the RNLI?
Providing no one is in danger, call us instead on +44 (0)1326 374309.
Our Respond and Assist service ensures that a RIB arrives at your boat complete with the relevant members of the FBC team to help with the issue.
It could be a mechanical problem, an error in the electrics or another issue – we get the most appropriate of our specialists to the boat in quick time.
Following inspection, the team offer advice and, in many cases, carry out the necessary remedial work.
If we can’t solve the issue immediately, we arrange a tow to our Flushing yard for further investigation.
The Respond and Assist service operates from dawn until dusk, 7 days a week.
We aim to get our team to the vessel within an hour of an initial call.
The call outs are free to Falmouth Haven clients and £75 + VAT plus fuel to others.
If we are tasked with further work, the cost is £52.50 + VAT per hour, per staff member.
The service is very popular, with the majority of call outs being prompted by mechanical issues.
It’s not just boat owners who are pleased with the new service.
Coxswain John Blakeston from the RNLI’s Falmouth Lifeboat Station said: “We absolutely welcome the service.
“As a lifeboat station, we’re here to save lives but we often get involved in jobs where no lives are at risk.
“This new service is of great help to us, it’s all good news.”
A spokesperson for the RNLI said: “Mechanical failure is the single biggest cause of rescue call outs to sailing and motor cruisers, accounting for nearly 20 per cent of all our lifeboat launches.
“Knowing your boat, carrying spares and being able to fit them could make the difference between having to call for help and being able to help yourself.
“In 2018, RNLI lifeboats were called to 1,322 incidents involving machinery failure.”
In the event that you need assistance in a situation that is not an emergency, call us on +44 (0)1326 374309.