
Beaumaris lifeboat volunteers launched to assist a kayaker.
At 8.35 am on Thursday (15 August) volunteer crew members of the Beaumaris lifeboat received a page from H. M. Coastguard to provide assistance to a kayaker believed to be in difficulties near Port Penrhyn in the Menai Strait.
The lifeboat proceeded to the area and located the casualty from directions given by the Bangor Mobile Coastguard team who had also been tasked to this incident. The occupant of the kayak declined any assistance from the lifeboat and started to paddle towards the shore.
Due to reports of the kayaker struggling the lifeboat crew stood by and continued to monitor their progress as they headed to the shore. When the kayak capsized, the crew once more offered assistance. After initially declining and beginning to swim towards the shore the lifeboat crew recovered the kayak and continued to shadow the swimmer until they were persuaded to come onboard the lifeboat.
They were then taken ashore and handed over to the waiting Coastguard team, police and paramedic at the dock in Port Penrhyn. After handing the casualty over the lifeboat returned to Beaumaris arriving at 9.40 am to be refuelled and cleaned.
A RNLI spokesperson said: the ‘informants ashore did the correct thing in alerting the Coastguard to the situation. This meant our volunteer lifeboat crew were able to reach the casualty quickly, assess the situation and take the best course of action to prevent the situation worsening.’
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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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