Moelfre RNLI lifeboat volunteers rescue father and son.
Moelfre’s volunteer lifeboat crew were paged shortly before 2pm this afternoon when the HM Coastguard Holyhead were alerted to a possible overdue kayak with two persons possibly missing in the Dulas/ Lligwy Bay Area.
The all-weather lifeboat ‘Kiwi’ launched along with multi-agency assets assisting from Moelfre, Cemaes and Penmon coastguards. Under the command of coxswain Robin Baker, the all-weather lifeboat made best speed to the area, during which time further reports came in from National Coastwatch volunteers at Point Lynas suggesting they could see an upturned kayak drifting one and a half miles south east of their position.
Whilst on route to the reported area, fears grew for the missing persons as it was determined that it was a father and his thirteen year old son. The Coastguard helicopter from Caernarfon was requested as fears grew for the missing pair.
Shortly after, eagle-eyed crew-members of the Moelfre lifeboat spotted two people waving in distress on Dulas island, a historic maritime landmark on the east Anglesey coast previously used as a refuge tower for shipwrecked sailors.
Volunteer Crew members Martin Jones and Josh Edwards proceeded to the notoriously dangerous island in the lifeboats daughter craft, quickly ascertaining that the 50-year old man and 13-year old son had been in the water for some time after their kayak capsized and both were suffering from symptoms of cold water immersion, and minor abrasions from the rocky shore.
Given the condition of the casualties the coastguard helicopter was requested to winch their paramedic down to assess - it was quickly determined that both should be sent for further medical assessments at Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor.
The crew members assisted in the winching of the casualties and once the helicopter left the scene, they proceeded to Point Lynas to recover the partly submerged kayak.
It was discovered that the pair had left Lligwy around 10:30am this morning and had got into difficulties when they capsized near to the island. The father attempted to swim the son and kayak ashore to the island but was over come by fatigue and the cold. He suffered a minor head injury when the kayak struck his head so his son then re-entered the water and swam to his father's aid and helped him ashore.
Is was unclear as to whether they were carrying any means of communicating distress following the capsize, and neither were wearing life jackets at the time of rescue.
Fortunately the concerned mother raised the alarm when the pair failed to return when planned.
This is the second launch of this type for Moelfre lifeboats volunteers this year and again they urge that water users of any sort to wear the appropriate personal protective equipment for the activity they are undertaking, but also have adequate means of communicating distress should the worse happen.
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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