Busy start to 2018 for Porthcawl’s Lifeboat Crew

Porthcawl lifeboat crews have been paged almost forty times already this year. Casualties have varied from surfers, windsurfers, broken down vessels and persons cut off by the incoming tide.

Deputy Launch Authority, Aileen Jones, commented, ‘Our volunteer crews train each Sunday morning and Wednesday evening to build and maintain the varied skills needed to meet casualty needs. They can be paged 24/7, for 365 days of the year. Some ‘shouts’ are caused by failure of equipment which in most cases cannot be foreseen. We recommend that all sea users have means to signal for assistance e.g. flares, marine radio, or mobile phone although the latter can be a problem if there is no phone signal. Lifejackets or buoyancy aids should always be worn whilst afloat.

Our website, www.porthcawl-lifeboat.co.uk shows wind speed and direction, and importantly the tide times of high and low water and tide heights. We encourage all sea and particularly beach walkers in the Southerndown and Llantwit Major areas to take notice of tide times to avoid being cut off by an incoming tide. There are few access/exit points, due to the cliffs in this area so planning is essential to ensure your ability to walk from a chosen start point to an exit area safely.