Ilfracombe RNLI gathers in kayakers caught out by the bad weather

The strong winds and big seas that built up along the north coast of Devon and Cornwall yesterday led to a series of incidents for the volunteer team at Ilfracombe RNLI.

Four groups of kayakers were safely gathered in during yesterday afternoon (Thursday 16 August).

Both the all-weather and inshore lifeboat crews were first called at 2.05pm yesterday afternoon following a report from a local angling boat of two adults and two children with kayaks that appeared to be in trouble on a beach under Hangman Cliffs.  It was thought they were stranded and probably very cold.

When the volunteer lifeboat crews arrived on scene they found the four people were indeed stranded with surf of over two metres preventing them from getting off the beach. The crew onboard the D class inshore lifeboat Deborah Brown II put a crew member ashore to check the condition of the people and then prepare them all for transfer from the sands to the all-weather lifeboat Spirit of Derbyshire.

The breaking sea was in fact too large for the inshore lifeboat crew to safely get close enough to the beach to recover the four, so with the help of the small inflatable X boat (2.5 metres) kept onboard the Mersey class all-weather lifeboat, the RNLI volunteers rigged a breaches buoy system between the lifeboat and the shore.   The casualties were then pulled out to the lifeboat onboard the little inflatable two at a time, with the lifeboat crew member being the last off the beach.

The rescued kayakers then told the lifeboat crew that another two from their party had been swept further up the coast and both lifeboats immediately headed east to search for them. They were located a mile up the coast and taken onboard the all-weather lifeboat.       

But that wasn’t the end to the drama; the Coastguard then reported a further two kayakers were overdue. After a short search by the RNLI crews, they were found at Wild Pear Beach having been trapped ashore by the surf. They had just managed to refloat their kayaks when the lifeboats arrived and they were escorted back to the harbour.

The final incident involved yet more kayaks with three reported missing to the west of Coombe Martin. The RNLI volunteers set off once again and located them off Watermouth Harbour. They were alright but paddling in a large swell so they too were escorted back into harbour.

 Andrew Bengey, volunteer RNLI Coxswain at Ilfracombe, says its vital people take notice of the charity’s advice to check the weather forecast and the local conditions before setting out on the water, even if as in all these cases, the kayaks had been hired;

‘These incidents prove just how easy it is to get caught out by bad weather and big surf.  The RNLI are always keen to prevent incidents and some simple tips can help you avoid getting into difficulty. For instance always check the weather and tides before setting off, and ask for local information. This is especially important if you hire a kayak while on holiday as you won’t necessarily be aware of the local conditions and how they can change. You can get this from the harbour office, Coastguards, RNLI lifeguards and indeed the lifeboat station.

We also recommend people wear a lifejacket when going on the water, carry a means of calling for help and if possible, get proper training before going out to sea. It’s all too easy to get caught out by tricky conditions that are not suitable to your own abilities but you can easily assess whether it’s a good day for going on the water by following this advice.

I must also pay tribute to my crew volunteers who worked extremely hard yesterday to safely rescue all these people. They put their hours of training to good use, using well rehearsed techniques such as the breeches buoy to recover all the casualties.’  
   
Notes to editors:

• The first of the attached photographs shows the Ilfracombe inshore lifeboat crew rigging the Breeches Buoy system using the little X boat kept onboard the all-weather lifeboat to get the kayakers off the beach. Please credit RNLI/Ilfracombe. The other pictures are of the all-weather lifeboat returning to harbour with the casualties and their hired kayaks. 
 
RNLI media contacts
For more information please Tamsin Thomas, RNLI Public Relations Manager for the south west, on 07786 668847 email Tamsin_Thomas@rnli.org.uk