Looe RNLI volunteer crews investigate report of a drifting unoccupied dinghy

Yesterday morning, Tuesday 22 March 2022, Falmouth Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) received a 999 call reporting an unoccupied black and blue dinghy drifting off Portwrinkle. At 8.50 am crew pagers sounded and our RNLI volunteer crew launched the charity’s Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat Sheila and Dennis Tongue II. Shortly afterwards the D Class inshore lifeboat Ollie Naismith was also launched and both lifeboats made best speed to Portwrinkle. Arriving on scene our crews started to search for the dinghy. After a short search our crews spotted an object in the water and recovered a deflated black and blue rubber ring into the lifeboat. After confirming with Falmouth MRCC that the object matched the description given by the first informant our lifeboats were stood down to return to the lifeboat station with the rubber ring.

Our volunteer crew said that the first informant did the right thing in contacting the coastguard to report their concerns. Lifeboat crews would always prefer to launch and find everything is OK rather than learn later that someone was in difficulty and needed assistance. In this case the accurate description and location given by the first informant enabled our crews to recover the object from the water and confirm no one was in difficulties.

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Notes to editors

Photos:

· Looe RNLI Atlantic 85 Sheila and Dennis Tongue II returning to station from Portwrinkle
Photo credit RNLI / Ian Foster

· Looe RNLI D Class Ollie Naismith returning to station from Portwrinkle
Photo credit RNLI / Ian Foster

· Recovered rubber ring in the boathouse next to Looe RNLI’s D Class Ollie Naismith
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.

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Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

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