On Thursday, just as volunteers from Rhyl RNLI were celebrating the 200th anniversary of the charity, with the One Moment One Crew photograph. A call came in from HM Coastguard to assist a number of people becoming trapped on a rapidly dissapearing sandbank at Rhyl beach. A crew was quickly assembled and the inshore lifeboat was taken across a deep gully by the stations county tractor and five people were safely taken ashore.
Approximately an hour later, the crews were again tasked by HM Coastguard to assist five people trapped on another sandbank a few hundred metres away. All casualties were safely returned to the shore by the inshore lifeboat and county tractor.
On the afternoon of Friday, 2nd August, Holyhead Coastguard received a number of 999 calls by concerned members of the public who had witnessed two people in a kayak appearing to struggle with a strong off-shore wind. The volunteer in-shore lifeboat crew responded, and maintaining constant visual contact, met up with the kayakers off of Splash Point, who had managed to paddle closer to shore by this point.
The final shout was received at 7.12pm on Friday, a member of the public had encounter difficulty whilst swimming. Both the all-weather, and inshore lifeboats were paged, the inshore launching at 7.24pm and the all-weather lifeboat being stood down shortly due to the casualties proximity to the shore. Friends and members of the public managed to bring the casualty to shore where they were tended to by an off-duty nurse. Being joined by volunteers from the inshore RNLI lifeboat and colleagues from HM Coastguard, who assisted in bringing the casualty to the care of the Welsh Ambulance Service, accompanied by doctors from the Welsh Air Ambulance who had landed on scene.
Rhyl RNLI Coxswain Martin Jones, said: “It has been busy day for our volunteers in Rhyl, and with the summer season being in full swing we would just like to remind people to stay aware when by the sea. Always check the tide times and weather conditions, let someone know where you are going and when you intend to return if you can’t go with company and always have a method of contacting help.”
“Friday’s call demonstrates the effectiveness and skill of all agencies involved, I am very grateful for the fantastic cooperation and professionalism of everyone who was involved, leading to a successful rescue.”
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 142,700 lives.
