Aberystwyth RNLI rescue four inflatables over weekend

The crew were first paged at 4:43pm on Friday (13 May) May to reports of an inflatable dinghy being blown out to sea with strong off shore winds.
 
On arriving at the scene off North beach Aberystwyth the Atlantic 85 lifeboat found the inflatable with no persons aboard, being blown further out to sea. After liaising with the Aberystwyth coastguard it was quickly established that the occupants had jumped into the sea and had swam back to shore.
 
The lifeboat returned the inflatable to the shore and returned to station. After a crew change both the station lifeboats went out on a training exercise and were soon being flagged down by another inflatable which was struggling to get back to shore with the off shore winds. The occupants were taken aboard the Arancia rescue boat and taken back to the beach.

The crew decided to head back to the station, but on the way at approximately 6:48pm the volunteers were again flagged down by an inflatable that was having difficulty making headway against the wind. The lifeboat helped the dinghy back to South beach and then returned to station.

On Sunday (15 May), the crew were again called out at 3:56pm to reports of an inflatable off South Beach which may have been in difficulty near to Castle rocks. The Arancia inshore lifeboat launched on its own and made its way to the area, where the occupants were found to be safe and well. The volunteers then escorted the inflatable back to the beach.

If using inflatables the RNLI would always recommend that users check the wind direction and tether the dinghy to the shore. Inflatable dinghy’s can be quickly carried away by the wind and tide.

RNLI media contacts
For more information please contact Paul McCann Aberystwyth Lifeboat Press Officer on 077877785614 or Danielle Rush, Divisional Media Relations Manager (Wales and West) on 07786 668829 or 01745 585162. Alternatively contact RNLI Public Relations on 01202 336789.

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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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