Penlee RNLI responds to 11 call outs in one week, including false distress call

On Tuesday 20 June at 10.56pm the all-weather lifeboat Ivan Ellen was launched following several reports of a distress flare being seen in Mount’s Bay. The Penzance Coastguard Rescue Team was also tasked to help. The lifeboat crew conducted a search between Penlee Point and Long Rock, while the Penzance Cliff Rescue team searched the shore line. After carrying out searches for an hour, it became apparent that there were no vessels in distress so the lifeboat crew were stood down and returned to the station at 11.30pm. No sign of those involved or any remnants of the flare were found after an inland search was conducted by the Coastguard Rescue Team.

Earlier in the day, the volunteer crew received a launch request from Falmouth HM Coastguard at 6.05pm following reports of three people requiring assistance in the sea near Battery Rocks, Penzance. The inshore lifeboat Mollie & Ivor Dent was launched immediately and arrived on scene at 6.12pm. The lifeboat crew found out that a member of the group had suffered an asthma attack in the water, so two people had entered the sea to help and had managed to move them on to the steps at Battery Rocks. The lifeboat crew helped to bring the casualty completely ashore and administered oxygen, with Penzance Coastguard Cliff Rescue team and paramedics also arriving on scene to provide support. The casualty was taken to an awaiting ambulance for further treatment and the lifeboat crew were released to go on to a training exercise in Mount’s Bay.

At 7.00pm another call was received, as Falmouth HM Coastguard had been given information that a young person on a body board was experiencing difficulties near St Michael’s Mount. The inshore lifeboat proceeded to the location immediately, but thankfully the young person had reached safety before the lifeboat crew arrived. This had been a busy evening for the volunteer crew, who were Helm Ben Keogh, Elliot Andrews, Jack Shannon and Craig Neal.

The lifeboat station had also responded to two call outs the day before, Monday 19 June. The first was at 10.20am, after a member of the public had reported seeing a kayaker in difficulties near Larrigan Rocks. The inshore lifeboat launched from Newlyn, quickly locating the kayaker to find that there were no problems and all was well. The volunteer crew, Helm Ben Keogh, Ballast Patch Harvey and Andrew Wood, reported this to Falmouth HM Coastguard.

Later that day at 3.59pm, another crew launched from Newlyn to assist a small motor cruiser with two people on board that had broken down near Lamorna. Another local vessel, the Cormorant, was nearby and held onto the cruiser until the lifeboat crew arrived on scene. The vessel was then towed safely to Penzance Harbour, with the inshore lifeboat returning to the station at 5.00pm to be made ready for her next service. The crew for this call out were Helm Will Treneer, James Roberts and Andrew Wood.

RNLI safety advice

If you see someone else in trouble in the water, call for help. Call 999 or 112 and ask for the coastguard. If you have something that floats or they can hold on to, throw it to them. Do not enter the water yourself. Too many people drown trying to save others. For more advice on staying safe in and near the water, visit www.respectthewater.com/stay-safe/ .

For more information contact Penlee RNLI Lifeboat Press Officer Elaine Trethowan, at [email protected] or Penlee RNLI Deputy Lifeboat Press Officer Michael Sagar-Fenton on 01736 361269.

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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Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

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