East Sutherland Rescue Association

We are the East Sutherland Rescue Association (ESRA), an independent lifeboat based at Dornoch beach, covering inshore waters from Helmsdale to Tarbat Ness.

The East Sutherland Rescue Association (ESRA) is a registered charity which funds and operates the independent, volunteer crewed Dornoch Firth Life Boat for inshore rescues along the coasts of Sutherland and Easter Ross bordering the Dornoch Firth.

The Organisation was founded in 1981 by local citizens out concern for the available level of response to water borne emergencies, and has been providing assistance to the Coast Guard and other Emergency Services continuously since. Dornoch and Embo beaches remain popular visitor destinations and the fast moving currents and ever shifting sandbars of the Dornoch Firth and Loch Fleet have caught out visitors and locals alike. The volunteer crew of the Dornoch Firth Life Boat are on call 24 hours a day year round to assist when the need arises.

Our registered Charity Number is SCO16041.