Fine weather brings a busy time for Barmouth RNLI
The Barmouth D Class Inshore Lifeboat (ILB) The Rotarian Clive Tanner arrived back from Cowes after a refit at midday on Wednesday 1st June 2016 and was called out almost as soon as it was back in service
When the volunteer crew arrived at the scene, it transpired that there had been two women, a mother and daughter, on board the inflatable boat when it capsized throwing both women into the water. Another family on the beach witnessed the event and called for the rescue services while two men went in to their aid. The mother had swallowed a lot of water and was unconscious so one of the men, an off-duty policeman, had begun CPR when the ILB arrived at the scene. The woman revived and the volunteer crew of the ILB administered oxygen to the casualty before handing her over to the Welsh Ambulance Service. Both women were taken to Bronglais Hospital.
Later that afternoon, the crew were paged at 4.12pm and launched at 4.16 to a report of a child in a dinghy off Sunnysands Caravan Site, Talybont. The eight-year-old girl was alone in a rubber dinghy and the fresh easterly force 3 to 4 offshore wind had blown the small boat out to sea, while her anxious grandparents watched from the beach. Initially, a nearby jetski went to the child’s aid, but that broke down and also drifted further out.
The volunteer crew of the ILB arrived at the scene to find that the little girl had been picked up by a local fishing boat, the Viking Princess, which was in the area. The girl was wearing a wetsuit and had the presence of mind to stay in the boat until help arrived. She was transferred to the ILB and brought back to the shore where members of HM Coastguard were waiting with her grateful grandparents.
Meanwhile, the owner of the jetski was able to make his own way back to the shore and the ILB returned to station at 4.55pm.
Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.
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