Coast rescue services busy at Rhyl after Covid-19 rules relaxed.
Rhyl Lifeguards, Lifeboats and Coastguard volunteers see a very busy three hours on Friday 31 July.
The Inshore lifeboat had four 'shouts', the all-weather lifeboat one 'shout' and the RNLI lifeguards and coastguards were kept busy with numerous incidents on the beaches of Rhyl and Prestatyn, including lost children and inflatables being blown out to sea.
The inshore lifeboat was mainly launched to inflatables being taken out to sea by the offshore wind and the ebbing tide. On each occasion, there was no-one on the inflatable, so a search of the local area was undertaken to see if any person had fallen out. The RNLI lifeguards and Coastguards were also deployed to check beaches to see if anyone was reported missing. Luckily, the inflatables' owners were found and confirmed that no-one was missing. The all-weather lifeboat was put on standby if required.
This was the first real time when Covid-19 regulations in Wales had been relaxed, so the beaches ere especially busy as schools had now broken up for Summer.
The all-weather lifeboat was also required to locate a small day boat which had called UK coastguard at Holyhead, to say their engine had broken down just to the South-East of the Rhyl Flats wind farm, the most easterly of the farms off North-East Wales. The boat and it's occupants were located and towed back to their launch site at Prestatyn. The inshore lifeboat also re-launched to take over the tow back to the beach.
Martin Jones, Coxswain at Rhyl lifeboat station said ' Luckily, there were no occupants on the inflatables, as in today's offshore wind and ebb tide, they can be carried out over half a mile in minutes. If you are in this situation, it is better to stay on the inflatable until help arrives. Inflatables are not meant for open waters such as the sea'.
Pictures show the all-weather lifeboat and crew (in protective masks) towing the stranded vessel to shore, and also the tracks of both lifeboats today.
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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