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Three call outs for Porthdinllaen RNLI lifeboat on a busy Sunday

Lifeboats News Release

Porthdinllaen RNLI volunteers were kept busy as they were tasked to three different incidents on Sunday.

Porthdinllaen Lifeboat

RNLI/Dylan Thomas

Porthdinllaen Lifeboat

In the first incident, Porthdinllaen`s Tamar Class lifeboat was tasked at 2.10pm to investigate what looked like kayakers in difficulty off Dinas Dinlle. Members of the control tower at Caernarfon Airport had been observing the kayaker for a while and contacted the Coastguard at Holyhead with their concerns as the kayaker seemed to be making no headway ashore.

The lifeboat made the best possible speed in good conditions towards the Dinas Dinlle. Arriving on scene within 30 minutes, the casualty was quickly located and reassured the crew that he was in no danger and required no assistance but had been fishing leisurely. Satisfied that no lives were in danger and that the kayaker was safely ashore, Porthdinllaen RNLI lifeboat returned to its base.

On arrival at the slipway, the lifeboat was requested to assist a kayaker who was by now on nearby Creigiau Morys, exhausted and unable to paddle against the strong ebbing tide on Porthdinllaen Point.

The lifeboat immediately launched it`s Y boat tender as the location was too shallow for the Tamar Class lifeboat draught. With two crew members on board the Y boat, they managed to get the casualty aboard and returned him ashore at Porthdinllaen.

The Y boat was then returned to the all-weather Tamar class lifeboat and returned to its station refuelled and ready for service.

At 10.40 pm, Porthdinllaen lifeboat was requested to launch for its third tasking of the day. A member of the public had spotted what seemed like a red flare out in Caernarfon Bay.

Porthdinllaen lifeboat with a full complement of volunteer crew, launched down he slipway and made the best possible speed towards the scene. With a strengthening offshore wind and lightning in the area, a thorough search of a vast area around Trefor and out to Caernarfon Bay was conducted along with a shoreline search.

After saturating the area and with no vessels or suspected debris found, and no reports of any overdue or missing craft in the area, Holyhead Coastguard were satisfied that there were no persons in danger, decided to call off the search at 1.20 am with the lifeboat refuelled, washed down and ready for service by 1.40am.

Keneth Fitzpatrick, Lifeboat Operations Manager at Porthdinllaen said:

‘Our volunteer team were kept busy throughout today and are ready to respond to the call for assistance 24/7. Although there was no craft or person found to be missing, the call was made by the member of the public with good intent, as always, we are grateful that people are vigilant and to dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard if they see somebody in danger out at sea’

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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For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.

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.

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