The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Lifeboat crew leave wedding to save men
NOBODY LIKES to be a party pooper but the crew of the Kinghorn lifeboat had to be excused at the weekend after vacating a colleague’s wedding to attend a rescue.
Four members of the volunteer crew fled the evening reception at a hotel to aid two men whose boat had broken down near Burntisland.
The quartet, in kilts and party dresses, fled the celebrations shortly after 8pm on Saturday and made their way to the lifeboat station, before changing into their rescue gear and launching the lifeboat.
Helmsman Scott McIlravie said: “We were all surprised when the pager went off during the wedding but our crews are always prepared for this situation.
“We found the vessel was very close to the shipping channel, so when we arrived, it was decided to establish a tow and we took the vessel to Burntisland harbour, where we secured it alongside.”
The stricken vessel was located near the Black Rock, allowing the wedding guests to watch the rescue from reception.
A lthough the groom, fellow crew member Steven Wallace, was excused on this occasion to allow him to enjoy his nuptials, Scott added that assisting people in distress at any time is part of the job.
“The vessel was back in the harbour about 30 minutes later.
“We then returned to station, where we washed and fuelled the lifeboat before returning to the wedding celebration around 10pm.
“Our volunteer crews are always ready to respond to the pager, whatever we are doing.
“We must have been the best-dressed crew as we all ran to the station in our wedding outfits.”