Wednesday 27th May saw a busy afternoon for the volunteer Barmouth crew of inshore lifeboat (ILB)
CraigSteadman which saw them respond to three incidents, two of which involved inflatables and offshore winds.
SHOUT ONE
The pagers first sounded at 12.12pm as the ILB crew self launched to a paddleboard with two 14 year old children on board which was spotted in difficulty in the offshore winds near the north bank.
The ILB launched into calm seas and made good speed towards the paddleboard. Whilst the ILB was enroute a family member had swam out to assist the stricken paddleboarders. The crew of ILB
CraigSteadman recovered the now three casualties and their paddleboard and returned them to the shoreline . The crew then carried out a shore line sweep returning one further paddleboard with one person on board to the shore before returning to the boathouse and refuelling ready for service.
SHOUT TWO
At 2.26pm the crew were tasked by HM Coastguard to reports of two people on inflatable kayaks being blown offshore from the north bank. The crew launched ILB
CraigSteadman and travelled a nautical mile out from the shoreline to the kayakers who initially declined any assistance. The crew of ILB
CraigSteadman kept a watchful eye on the kayakers who were determined to paddle back to shore. Realising they were fighting a losing battle the casualties accepted the offer of help from the volunteer crew and the kayaks and casualties were recovered to the shoreline. The crew had returned to the boathouse and were refuelling and preparing ILB
CraigSteadman for service when they were required to relaunch
SHOUT THREE
The crew launched with some urgency when they received reports of swimmers in difficulty off the sandbank in front of the boathouse. Fortunately by the time the lifeboat had reached the shore line, the swimmers had made their way to safety and the volunteer crew returned to the boathouse and CraigSteadman was readied for service for the final time that day.
An RNLI spokesperson said ‘whilst we want visitors to enjoy the beach we actively discourage the use of inflatables in the water, especially with an off shore wind. The wind will blow you out to sea faster than you can paddle back. None of the casualties recovered today were wearing lifejackets or flotation devices which we encourage. Also whilst you are on the water we suggest you carry a means of contacting someone if you do get into difficulty’
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.
