UK Coastguard paged Porthcawl RNLI’s volunteer crew following a report they’d received from Porthcawl NCI that two people were cut off by the incoming tide at Dunraven Bay, Southerndown.
Many of the crew were at fellow crew member, Reverend Mark Broadway’s wedding at All Saint’s Church, Porthcawl leaving the ceremony to respond to the call and arrived at the lifeboat station swapping their suits for drysuits.
The charity’s relief Atlantic 85 Edna May and D Class Hugo Missen were launched on service and made best speed to the location. Coastguard teams from Llantwit Major and Barry were also tasked along with the Coastguard rescue helicopter 187 based at St. Athan.
The crew of the Atlantic 85 lifeboat were first on scene and crew member Luke Anderson went ashore to reassure the casualties and let them know the plan for how they would be rescued. With there being a large swell with waves breaking onto the shore it was decided the safest way to extract the casualties was by Coastguard rescue helicopter which located a rock slab near to where the casualties and RNLI crew member were, which it landed on. The helicopter took the two casualties along with the crew member onboard and dropped them all off in a field above the cliff top where the coastguard teams had secured a landing site.
Luke said: ‘Within the space of an hour I was sat in a church for one of the crew’s weddings, then I found myself on the lifeboat, followed by a short trip in a helicopter and ended up stood in the middle of a field in Southerndown. As the surf breaking onto the shore was quite large it was safer for me to get picked up by the helicopter than make my way back out to the lifeboat from the shore.’
Before heading to the coast check tide times and take a fully charged phone. In a coastal emergency dial 999 or 112 and ask for the Coastguard.
Full news release with downloadable image and video: Porthcawl RNLI called out during crew member’s wedding | RNLI
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