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Newquay RNLI lifeboat volunteers assist with call to cabin cruiser

Lifeboats News Release

Newquay RNLI lifeboat volunteers were called out twice over the weekend (8/9 September), assisting St Ives lifeboat with the recovery of a cabin cruiser, and responding to calls for help from a surfer at Little Fistral

Newquay and St Ives lifeboats in Newquay Harbour after towing cabin cruiser to safety

Kris Jane

Newquay and St Ives lifeboats in Newquay Harbour after towing cabin cruiser to safety
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At 4.30pm on Saturday, Newquay's Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat launched to assist St Ives all-weather lifeboat with the recovery of a 24-foot cabin cruiser with two people onboard, who had made a distress call to UK Coastguard, saying they were unsure of their position and drifting in the strong flood tide. Initial reports suggested they were near Land's End, but Sennen Cove lifeboat was unable to find them in that area, and the Coastguard later established that they were further along the north coast and requested St Ives lifeboat launch to their assistance.

St Ives lifeboat crew were able to locate the cabin cruiser drifting towards rocks half a mile from Perran Bay, so they were taken in tow and brought to Newquay Bay, where Newquay lifeboat volunteers took over the tow and guided the boat safely into the inner harbour, which was too crowded for the larger St Ives lifeboat to work in, with Newquay Fish Festival in full swing and many of the local boats alongside.

The second call of the weekend came at 9.32am on Sunday, when Newquay's RNLI volunteers launched both inshore lifeboats after a 999 call reported people in the water shouting for help at Little Fistral.

A surfer had been caught in a rip current in Fistral Bay and was back onshore with his group when the lifeboats arrived, after scrambling across rocks to safety. The 28yr-old man was assessed by a student paramedic on the lifeboat crew, and fortunately his only injuries were cuts to his feet and the affects of cold, so he was given a warm layer by the RNLI crew and handed into the care of Newquay Coastguard.


RNLI contacts
Andy Hobkinson, volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer, Newquay RNLI lifeboat station. Email: [email protected] or call 07880 507464.
Alternatively, Emma Haines, RNLI Regional Media Officer. Email: [email protected] or call 07786 668847.

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.

Learn more about the RNLI

For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, X, TikTok and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.

Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.

About the author

Andy Hobkinson
Lifeboat Press Officer, Newquay Lifeboat Station

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