No Sunday rest for Fowey’s volunteer RNLI lifeboat crew
While many of us find weekends relaxing, as a member of Fowey lifeboat crew weekends can be anything but. On Sunday 12 September, in addition to the weekly Sunday morning RNLI lifeboat training exercises, the volunteer crew were called out on two shouts, launching at 6.13pm and again at 9.01pm.
The morning training session, which was also the first outing for new crew member, Martin Jezard, was spent on exercises supporting Gorran Haven Lifeboat Day. Returning at 1.30pm, the crew spent time washing down the Trent class and D class RNLI lifeboats and prepared to carry on with their weekend.
Within four hours however, at 6.13pm on Sunday evening, both the all-weather Trent class and the inshore D class lifeboats were launched to assist the police and coastguard at an incident in Carlyon Bay. Later, at 9.01pm the all-weather lifeboat was launched for the third time that day. The Fowey lifeboat crew were asked to assist the coastguard after a man was reported missing by his friends. Having set off in a small dinghy in dark, misty conditions, heading to a larger boat on which he was staying, moored 200 metres off Charlestown Harbour, there was no news on whether the man had arrived safely at the mooring. As the dinghy had been experiencing engine problems, his friends were concerned about the reliability of the boat.
Search teams from the coastguard and Fowey lifeboat were tasked with searching around the harbour and beaches. Luckily the man was eventually found safe and well by the Fowey lifeboat crew. Coxswain Malcolm Richardson said: ‘The man had done the right thing by telling someone where he was going, so they were able to call 999 and alert the coastguard when they thought he was in trouble. It is important to keep engines well maintained, to wear a lifejacket or buoyancy aid and to always carry a means of calling for help, especially if equipment is known to be faulty.’
The crew finally returned to Fowey lifeboat station at 10.40pm. Three of the crew members had been involved in two of the days’ shouts and two had been out on all three launches that day.
If you would like to donate to the Fowey RNLI lifeboat charity, you can do so on the fundraising page at
https://bit.ly/395wPpb
Photo credits: Cathy Baillie
Notes to editors
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Fowey lifeboat station has been operating for nearly 150 years. To learn more about the lifeboat station go to:
https://rnli.org/find-my-nearest/lifeboat-stations/fowey-lifeboat-station -
A photo of Fowey’s lifeboat can be viewed at: https://rnli.org/find-my-nearest/lifeboat-stations/fowey-lifeboat-station
RNLI media contacts
For more information please telephone Cathy Baillie, RNLI volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer on 07787 709986 or [email protected] or Emma Haines, Regional Press Officer [email protected] and 07786 668847 or contact the RNLI Press Office on 01202 336789.
RNLI online
For more information on the RNLI please visit rnli.org. News releases and other media resources, including RSS feeds, downloadable photos and video, are available at the RNLI News Centre rnli.org/news-and-media.
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 over 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 142,200 lives.
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.