Great excitement for WI visit to Barmouth Lifeboat station.
Ladies from Llanfair Women’s Institute had a very exciting time during their visit to Barmouth Lifeboat Station on Thursday afternoon15 June 2017.
They were being shown around by Visits Officer Eve Williams and members of the volunteer crew when the crew pagers rang at 2.17 pm.
They had been tasked by UK Coastguard to go to the aid of a person in the water in the Mawddach Estuary. The Inshore Lifeboat (ILB) was launched at 2.22 and on arrival at the scene they found a 64 year-old windsurfer in the middle of the estuary near Mawddach Crescent with a person in a kayak nearby.
Sea conditions were quite rough with a south-westerly force 5 to 6 wind blowing. The windsurfer had lost his board and was up to his neck in water on a sandbank, holding fast on to the sail when the volunteer crew arrived. His friend in the kayak was close by but was unable, in the strong wind, to help his friend to safety.
The casualty was taken aboard the ILB to Aberamffra Harbour where he was checked over by NHS Ambulance Service personnel. The gentleman was shaken, but no further medical intervention was required, and the volunteer crew returned to the station at 2.46 pm.
Pauline Bedson of Llanfair WI said:
‘We were being shown around the ILB when the pagers went off and the volunteer crew told us they were about to launch. We were very impressed by the speed and efficiency of the operation and it was very exciting to see the lifeboat launch at first hand.’
The following day, the kayaker called at the boathouse and spoke to second coxswain Rob Williams who had helmed the ILB the previous day.
He said:
‘I want to thank you and the crew for the rescue yesterday. There is no better feeling in the world when you are up to your neck in water than to see that little lifeboat coming towards you. Thank you so much for all you do’.
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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