St Agnes RNLI lifeboat called to dog walker in distress
The St Agnes RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew launched in challenging high tide conditions after reports of a man cut off at Cotty’s Point, Perranporth.
With the casualty reported to be in imminent danger, crew members were paged at 4.37pm. The station’s duty launch authority along with helm, Tom Forehead, assessed the conditions at Trevaunance Cove, which can be extremely challenging at high tide. It was decided that a launch was feasible and with the assistance of seven Shore Crew and a Tractor Driver, the D-class lifeboat was launched at 4.47pm with three crew aboard.
Given the sea conditions the helm requested back up from the Coastguard Cliff Rescue team and Coastguard rescue helicopter which arrived on scene at the same time as the lifeboat. With the lifeboat standing off in support, the casualty was winched from the scene and flown directly to Cornwall Royal Hospital, Treliske. The lifeboat made for Perranporth beach which was deemed a safer landing point than Trevaunance Cove but put to sea again after reports that the casualty had been accompanied by a dog. On returning to the scene the crew made a thorough search for the missing animal. Sadly, there were no signs of the animal and the search was called off.
With the casualty reported to be in imminent danger, crew members were paged at 4.37pm. The station’s duty launch authority along with helm, Tom Forehead, assessed the conditions at Trevaunance Cove, which can be extremely challenging at high tide. It was decided that a launch was feasible and with the assistance of 7 shore-crew and a tractor driver, the D-class lifeboat was launched at 4.47pm with 3 crew aboard.
Given the sea conditions the helm requested back up from the Coastguard Cliff Rescue team and Coastguard rescue helicopter which arrived on scene at the same time as the lifeboat. With the lifeboat standing off in support, the casualty was winched from the scene and flown directly to Cornwall Royal Hospital, Treliske. The lifeboat made for Perranporth beach which was deemed a safer landing point than Trevaunance Cove but put to sea again after reports that the casualty had been accompanied by a dog. On returning to the scene the crew made a thorough search for the missing animal. The dog was spotted but conditions made its recovery by the lifeboat impossible.
Lifeboat Operations Manager Emma Watkins said of the launch, “Our prime objective is to save lives at sea and to keep our crew safe. These are just the challenging conditions we train for, and our volunteer crew was outstanding. It’s terribly sad that we couldn’t recover the gentleman’s dog and our hearts go out to him.”
The lifeboat returned to Perranporth beach where it was met by the shore crew and tractor unit. Having been recovered and returned to station, the lifeboat was refuelled, rehoused and ready for service at 7pm.
The lifeboat returned to Perranporth beach where it was met by the shore crew and tractor unit. Having been recovered and returned to station, the lifeboat was refuelled, rehoused and ready for service at 7pm.
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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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