Each step you take for Mayday could save a life like mine says paddleboarder
Paddleboarder Ellen is urging people to support this year’s RNLI Mayday Mile campaign by recounting her experience of being saved from a dangerous tidal race by Swanage lifeboat station volunteers.
The RNLI 24/7 life-saving service is only made possible by generous donations and support from the public. The Mayday mile fundraiser plays a crucial role in ensuring the charity is able to save people like Ellen whose story unfolded on an overcast September day in 2019.
Ellen and her uncle Mark, two experienced swimmers, paddleboarders and kayakers, had gone out to explore Swanage Bay on a paddleboard and inflatable kayak. As the pair drew closer to Peveril Ledge, they found themselves being dragged into the clutches of an intense tidal race, with growing waves knocking Ellen off her board and pushing her under the surface of the water.
‘My uncle turned around and saw me get taken under by several waves.’ recounted Ellen. ‘He came back into the tidal races, and we attached the board to the kayak, thinking we would be all right being together again, but then we realised we weren’t actually getting anywhere. We were just fighting and fighting and fighting but we were stuck in the same spot’.
Both Ellen and her uncle had ventured into the bay with safety at the forefront of their minds, having followed the RNLI’s paddleboarding safety advice*. Alongside wearing personal flotation devices, wetsuits and wetsuit boots, the pair had also taken a mobile phone with them in a dry bag, just in case of emergencies.
‘The sea was too rough for us to get the phone out of the bag,’ said Ellen. ‘We would have lost it before we could have signalled for any help’.
Fortunately, the volunteers at the Swanage Coast Watch had raised the alarm, having seen the pair become exhausted and stuck in the tidal race.
‘We had no idea if anyone was coming. We were trapped for about an hour and fifteen minutes, but then the orange boat came through the water and oh my god, it was the best feeling ever’!
The Swanage RNLI inshore lifeboat launched quickly after the alarm was raised. Arriving on the scene, the volunteers assisted both Ellen and her uncle into the boat, as well as recovering the paddleboard and kayak.
‘Their aftercare was incredible. They pulled me into the boat first, then pulled my uncle in and then the paddleboard and then his kayak as well,’ exclaimed Ellen.
Before her experience, Ellen had been aware of the RNLI and supportive of the work that the charity does:
‘To be honest, I was like, oh yeah, it’s a good service, but that’s as far as my appreciation went I’d say.’ But since being assisted by the inshore lifeboat, Ellen is a passionate supporter: ‘Now, I’d do anything for the RNLI, they saved my life. Without them, I wouldn’t be here now.’
Demands for the RNLI are consistently high, with 9,312 lifeboat launches being recorded in 2022 alone. To make sure that the charity can keep providing this life-saving service, the RNLI is putting out its own ‘Mayday’ call.
Ellen’s experience of being rescued has led her to encourage others to support the RNLI by taking part in this year’s fundraiser. This year the RNLI is urging members of the public to take part in the Mayday Mile fundraiser, inviting people to take on the challenge of covering a mile a day for the month of May, in order to raise money to help provide the vital training and equipment that the charity’s selfless volunteer crews need to save lives at sea.
‘Every step you take is one more than I would have been able to if it wasn’t for the RNLI.’ adds Ellen.
The Mayday Mile runs Monday 1 may to Wednesday 31 May. Sign up and find out more at RNLI.org/SupportMayday today.
Notes to editors
- For more information about the RNLI’s paddleboarding safety advice, please visit : *https://rnli.org/safety/choose-your-activity/stand-up-paddle-boarding
RNLI media contacts
Thomas Henfrey, RNLI South East Regional Media Placement, on 07790772665 or email [email protected] or Julie Rainey, RNLI South East Media Manager, on 07827358256 or email [email protected] or Paul Dunt, RNLI South East Regional Media Officer, on 02076207416 or email [email protected] or alternatively, please call the RNLI Press Office on 01202336789 or email [email protected].
Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI is the charity that 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 146,700 lives.
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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.