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Horrendous weather conditions keep Salcombe Lifeboat crews busy

Lifeboats News Release

A little after 10am on Saturday (7 August) Salcombe all-weather lifeboat, The Baltic Exchange III launched in scruffy seas and driving rain, in response to a Mayday call from a yacht in difficulties off Soar Mill Cove.

With James Fern, taking his first shout since qualifying as Second Deputy Coxswain, the lifeboat was joined on scene by a Coastguard Helo and Cliff Rescue Teams where they found a yacht breaking up on the rocks with two people aboard. With conditions as they were it was decided the safest way to extract the casualties was a straight winch to the Helo above and onward transfer to Derriford hospital.

The lifeboat crew stood by while the transfer was completed before returning to Salcombe.

A difficult shout in horrendous conditions, for his first shout but a job well done with great team work aboard and between emergency services.

A Pan Pan call at 1pm saw Salcombe Inshore lifeboat crew launch with Andy Wheeler at the Helm, for his first shout since qualifying as Helm. Launching into the same scruffy seas as the ALB faced earlier in the day, they were tasked to aid a yacht with one person onboard and with its prop entangled in ropes in difficulties 1/2 nm South of Salcombe Bar. Despite the size of the yacht and lumpy conditions the ILB was able to tow the yacht safely into Salcombe.

At 7.30pm the Salcombe ILB launched into seas somewhat calmer than those experienced earlier in the day to reports of a personal location beacon being activated in the region of Starehole Bay.

After an extensive search and with nothing found the ILB returned to station.

10.53pm and time for one more Saturday shout, when the ALB launched to investigate a EPIRB signal 2.5 nm West of Bolt Head coming from an unregistered device and not connected to the previous shout. Again, following an extensive search of the area and with nothing found the lifeboat was stood down and returned to station.

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 142,700 lives.

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