Two kayakers rescued by St Agnes RNLI near Portreath
St Agnes RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew launched to kayakers in distress.
At 6.33pm on Sunday 9th July, the volunteer crew of St Agnes RNLI’s D Class lifeboat was paged for an immediate launch. The lifeboat put to sea within 10 minutes and made good speed to the Portreath area where the casualty had been spotted, near an area known locally as Sally's Bottom.
One kayaker from a party of three was quickly found and returned by the lifeboat to Portreath harbour where they were met by Portreath Cliff Rescue Team. A second member of the kayaking group self-recovered and the lifeboat put to sea again to search for a third person who was unaccounted for. RNLI crew are trained in how to make a visual scan of the sea over large areas and this training paid off when crew member Fred Stein spotted a paddle some 600 meters further out to sea. The lifeboat made haste to the third kayaker who was reunited with the rest of his party at Portreath harbour.
With all three kayakers safe, St Agnes RNLI lifeboat returned to base at Trevaunance Cove at 8.38pm and was refuelled and ready for service by 9pm.
For information on how to prepare for and stay safe whilst kayaking at sea, visit the RNLI website. https://rnli.org/safety/choose-your-activity/kayaking-and-canoeing
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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 142,700 lives.
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