
Rhyl RNLI lifeboat volunteers Christmas day put on hold as pagers sounded.
The crew were just getting ready at their homes for Christmas lunch on Sunday 25th December 2022 when they were called to investigate a report of a possible kayak in difficulty off Pensarn beach, Abergele.
Local volunteer coastguards from Llandudno were also on scene and directed the lifeboat to the position, about one mile north of Pensarn beach.
At the location, the lifeboat crew reported the object to be a large part of a tree with a branch sticking out of the water, looking like a hand.
The tree trunk was safely towed back to the beach, and handed over to the coastguards to prevent further calls.
Coxswain Martin Jones of Rhyl lifeboat crew said ' We are happy to answer our pagers at any time of year, even though some are false alarms. We would rather launch and find things such as this tree, rather than not be called to a genuine incident. If you see anything or anyone you think may be in trouble at sea, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard'.
Deputy Coxswain Andy Wilde commented ' I hope this is not the only yuletide log I will see today!'.
The lifeboat crew were back on station at 2.25pm, and after preparing the lifeboat ready for it's next tasking, went back to their Christmas celebrations.
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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