Looe RNLI volunteers miss fundraising raft race responding to a shout
Preparing to join the Polperro water carnival, Looe RNLI volunteer crews were tasked to assist a 24’ cabin cruiser with engine failure off Rame Head. The cabin cruiser with two persons on board was towed back into Looe harbour.
The annual water carnival at Polperro raises vital funds for Looe Lifeboat Station and Looe RNLI volunteer crew were at the boathouse Saturday afternoon (7 July 2018) planning to attend the water carnival with the Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat when a request for assistance call came in from Falmouth Coastguard.
The volunteer crew were tasked to assist a 24’ cabin cruiser with engine failure off Rame Head. The charity’s Atlantic 85 Sheila and Dennis Tongue II launched at 12.30 pm and headed East across Whitsand Bay. Quickly locating the cabin cruiser with 2 persons on board, a line was established and the cabin cruiser was towed back into Looe harbour. By the time the inshore lifeboat returned to Looe, the crew has missed the Polperro raft race.
Dave Haines, Looe RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager said:
‘This was the second year in a row when the Looe lifeboat had been called away from the water carnival to respond to a shout. It was a shame that everyone in Polperro for the water carnival did not have the chance to see the Atlantic 85 and meet the crew but they can see at first hand how the funds they raise allow our volunteer crews to respond to these emergency calls’.
The Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat returned to the boathouse at 2.50 pm, where she was refuelled and washed down and made ready for her next service.
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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