Minehead Lifeboats launch on service

Minehead's D-Class inshore lifeboat was tasked by HM Coastguard to a walker cut off by the tide at St. Audries’ Bay, in a perilous position with a fast-dwindling beach in the face of a ten metre tide and large swell.

Shortly after launch, D-Class helm Craig Coleman requested assistance from the station's larger Atlantic 85 lifeboat due to challenging sea conditions at the location. Navigator Rob Hickley then swam ashore to check on the welfare of the casualty Pam, a trainee clinical Psychologist visiting the area.

Pam explained “I had seen the waterfall on the Internet and really wanted to visit it. As I walked from the car park everything seemed fine, and I was chatting with my sister on the telephone. Unfortunately, as I came to return I saw that the path was flooding fast.

My sister knew to call the Coastguard on 999. I explained where I was, and they sent help. First a team arrived on the cliff, and then a little later the lifeboats arrived.

The crews of the D-Class and Atlantic volunteer lifeboats continued to monitor conditions for 30 minutes, until sea conditions improved enough to extract the walker from the rocky shoreline. She was taken from the shore onto the D-Class and then transferred onto the Atlantic 85 lifeboat for the short trip to Watchet Marina. She was found to be safe and well, and kindly returned to her car by Coastguard officers.

Pam later said “I’ve learnt a lot from this, and the key thing I want others to be do is to check the tides before setting out. I never knew this area could be so risky”.

Lifeboat Press Officer Sam Donati commented "We've got the second highest tidal range in the world here and it's super important to check tides and conditions before you set out on coastal activities. Thankfully this incident had a happy ending due to the casualty knowing to immediately call HM Coastguard on 999".

RNLI Media Contacts

For further information, please contact:

Sam Donati, Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer for RNLI South West, [email protected]

Emma Haines, RNLI Regional Communications Manager for South West England, 07786 668847, [email protected]

Amy Caldwell, RNLI Regional Communications Lead for South West England, 07920 818807, [email protected]

RNLI Press Office, 01202 336789, [email protected]

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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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