A THREE-day training event on how not to get bogged down came in handy for Silloth RNLI at the weekend, when they unintentionally got stuck on West Beach on Sunday, February 21.

They put their training, learned last year, into good use when their tractor and trailer sank in the mud and the crew had to use their beach recovery training to get them both out.

With both the tractor and trailer immobile, the tractor had to unhitch the trailer, in order to free itself first, as the trailer and boat were too heavy for them all to be pulled out together. Sand anchors assisted the recovery.

Once on a firmer surface on the beach, the tractor was then able to pull the trailer and boat out of the soft mud.

Luckily the weather was kind, making the whole exercise a worthy reminder of the process involved.

Everything was recovered safely, along with the crew.

The tractor and trailer were then taken back to the boathouse, where a thorough wash down was necessary.