At 5:54pm on Monday 12 September 2022 the pagers sounded. The volunteer crew of St Ives RNLI made their way to the lifeboat station as quickly and safely as possible.
With Coxswain Robert Cocking on the all weather lifeboat and George Deacon as Helm on the inshore lifeboat they made their way to the Hell’s Mouth area. Falmouth Coastguard had had a call from a member of the public on the coastal path. They believed they could hear screams coming from the shoreline. While the lifeboats were on their way, the Portreath Coastguard Team arrived on scene and the all weather lifeboat was stood down. The inshore lifeboat proceeded to the area and made a search of the shoreline.
The screams that were heard from the cliff tops turned out to be the seals below the coastal path. The Coastguard team and the inshore lifeboat were then stood down.
It was a case of a shout with good intent and the people that made the 999 call did the correct thing by calling for help.
The all weather lifeboat was put on the mooring, it will be recovered at low tide. The inshore lifeboat returned to the station to be washed down and made ready for service.
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 142,700 lives.
