First service of the year and final duty for Falmouth RNLI volunteer coxswain

The first call came when the inshore lifeboat crew were paged at 10.14am to a report of a person in the water waving for help at Pendower Beach. The station’s Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat Robina Nixon Chard launched but was stood down before arriving on scene. The swimmer had managed to get herself out of the water and wasn’t in need of assistance.

The second call out involved Falmouth’s Severn class all-weather lifeboat Richard Cox Scott which launched at 7.05pm under the command of Deputy Second Coxswain Carl Beardmore, to assist a 32 foot fishing boat with three people on board. The vessel had reported being disabled after a net had got caught in its propeller 16 miles south east of Black Rock.

The lifeboat located the casualty at 8.02pm in partly cloudy weather conditions with good visibility, a force 4 south west wind and a moderate sea. A decision was made to tow the fishing boat back to the Helford where it was placed on its mooring. The lifeboat was released from service at 10.53pm and returned to the station at 11.25pm.

This was Carl’s final duty as an RNLI volunteer crew member as he retired this morning (2 January) after 30 years service. He was awarded an RNLI Long Service Medal last October. He described his final service as very straightforward with no problems. When asked how he felt about it being his last duty he said: ‘It was surreal, it felt like it wasn’t really happening.’

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For more information please contact Simon Culliford, RNLI Volunteer Deputy Lifeboat Press Officer on 07971986978 or [email protected] or Emma Haines, RNLI Regional Media Officer [email protected] or the RNLI Press Office on 01202 336789.

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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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