Two shouts in two days for Looe RNLI volunteers

Normally group visits to the Looe RNLI Lifeboat Station go uninterrupted, however children from Sir Robert Geffery’s School in Landrake, who were visiting the lifeboat station on Friday 21 June 2019, watched both of the charity’s inshore lifeboats launching on service.

Visiting groups always receive a safety briefing just in case we have a shout. Following a talk on water safety from our volunteer Education Officer Graham Morris, the children and teachers went into the boathouse with Graham and boathouse guides Carol and Ian Foster to look at the boats and the kit the crew wear.

They were in the boathouse looking at the charity’s launch tractors and inshore lifeboats when at 10.46 am the boathouse pagers sounded. The children remained calm as they left the boathouse and made their way around to a safe viewing point to watch the inshore lifeboats launch. The school party then made their way onto the beach to continue their visit to Looe.

Our volunteer crews had received a request from the South Western Ambulance Service, for assistance in bringing a casualty over from Looe Island. Both inshore lifeboats, the charity’s Atlantic 85, Sheila and Dennis Tongue II, and D Class, Ollie Naismith, were launched within six minutes of the pager sounding. The lifeboats returned to Looe 30 minutes later to hand the casualty over into the care of the Ambulance Service at the landing pontoon on East Looe Quay.

Yesterday afternoon, Saturday 22 June 2019, Falmouth Coastguard operations centre received a mayday call from a small cabin cruiser on rocks off Millendreath. Looe RNLI crew pagers sounded at 3.15 pm and within seven minutes our RNLI volunteers launched the charity’s Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat, Sheila and Dennis Tongue II. Arriving on scene our crew found the boat swamped by water with one person on board. Due to the low tide a second volunteer crew launched the D Class inshore lifeboat Ollie Naismith to meet the Atlantic 85 off the Banjo Pier and bring the casualty back to the lifeboat station. The D Class was re launched to join the crew on the Atlantic 85, back at Millendreath, to establish a tow line on the cabin cruiser. The craft was towed back to Looe river and made secure, waiting for the tide to flood before the boat owner could take it back to moorings above the bridge.

The casualty was attempting to anchor offshore when the cabin cruiser was caught by a large wave broadsides. Looe Lifeboat helms Clive Palfrey and Toby Bray both commented that the situation could have deteriorated very quickly, but for the prompt calls for assistance. They recommend always checking the weather forecasts, as the predicted Easterly winds developed during the afternoon increasing the swell and wave height close to shore.

Looe Coastguard team were also in attendance.

END

Notes to editors

Photos:

· Looe RNLI Atlantic 85 Sheila and Dennis Tongue II launching on Friday’s shout
Photo credit RNLI / Ian Foster

· Looe RNLI D Class Ollie Naismith launching on Friday’s shout
Photo credit RNLI / Ian Foster

· Low tide launch of Looe RNLI Atlantic 85 Sheila and Dennis Tongue II on Saturday’s shout
Photo credit RNLI / Ian Foster

· Looe RNLI D Class Ollie Naismith towing the cabin cruiser into Looe
Photo credit RNLI / Ian Foster

Information

· Re-established as an inshore lifeboat station in 1992, Looe RNLI operate two inshore lifeboats
An Atlantic 85 Sheila and Dennis Tongue II and a D Class Ollie Naismith

· For further information on Looe RNLI Lifeboats please visit our website www.looelifeboats.co.uk

· Looe RNLI Facebook page www.facebook.com/LooeRNLI

RNLI media contacts

For more information please telephone Ian Foster, RNLI Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer for Looe Lifeboat Station, on 07902 753228 or [email protected] or [email protected]

or Amy Caldwell, RNLI Regional Media Manager, on 07920 818807 or [email protected]

or Emma Haines, RNLI Regional Media Officer, on 07786 668847 or [email protected]

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.