Fowey lifeboat rescues hypothermic swimmer
On Saturday 25 May, Fowey’s all-weather lifeboat was launched at 1.30pm to assist with the rescue of a swimmer who had got into difficulty in the sea below Carlyon Bay Hotel, whilst participating in a local swimming event.
The Carlyon Bay Surf Lifesaving Club team were able to get the swimmer to the nearby beach at Crinnis, which has no direct access and can only be reached from the sea. Teams from St Austell and Mevagissey coastguard had gone down the cliffs by rope to the beach to assist the lifesaving club. The woman was exhausted and was suffering from hypothermia. It was decided that the best way to get the casualty off the beach would be to use the lifeboat.
The crew on the all-weather lifeboat launched their small inflatable XP boat, which is carried onboard and got the woman safely onto the all-weather lifeboat. They continued to manage her hypothermia, and due to onshore conditions at Charlestown, took her back to Fowey. Here she was given dry clothes and warmed up, before going home with her husband.
A good outcome and teamwork by all the rescue services involved.
The next day the woman sent a message to the crew: ‘Hello! I just wanted to pass on my sincerest thanks to James, Will, Harry and the crew who rescued me from near Charlestown yesterday, when I got into trouble swimming. You were all so kind and truly amazing. So sorry to have interrupted your Saturdays. Thank you.’
If you see someone in difficulty at the coast, call 999 and ask for the coastguard.
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.
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