St Ives RNLI crew responds to false alarm with good intent
The volunteer lifeboat crew at St Ives RNLI responded to an emergency launch request at 11am on Thursday 4 May.
The alarm was raised by a member of the public who reported a person in difficulty in a drifting rubber dinghy and waving their hands, approximately half a mile off Pednolva point in St Ives Bay.
The St Ives inshore lifeboat was launched on service at 11am in moderate sea and weather conditions with second deputy coxswain, Robin Langford, at the helm along with RNLI volunteer crew members Sue Antcliff and Ian Timms. Arriving speedily to the scene, it soon became apparent that it was a launch with good intent.
Robin Langford stated that it was understandable how a member of the public could confuse a mooring buoy with an inflatable dinghy and the seaward side Dan marker waving in the swell, with a distressed person waving their hands. The inshore lifeboat returned to the station at 11.35am.
The RNLI urges anyone who is concerned that someone may be in distress to always ring 999 and ask for the coastguard. The RNLI would always prefer to launch to a false alarm with good intent than not to launch at all.
The crew at St Ives RNLI would like to remind the general public about the dedication and naming ceremony of their D class Inshore Lifeboat, the Donal Dean, at 1pm on Sunday 21 May at the Lifeboat Station. The RNLI would welcome your support.
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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