Kayaker rescue features flare

22/08/2024

RNLI crew rescued five kayakers in difficulty off the Welsh coast with the help of an illuminating flare.

The coastguard reported one June afternoon that kayakers in difficulty had been seen near North Stack and at least one was in the water.

Lifeboats from Holyhead RNLI and Trearddur Bay RNLI responded. Initially, the D-class Mary and Archie Hooper inshore lifeboats were asked to search. But when they arrived at the original location, they could find nothing, so the all-weather lifeboat Christopher Pearce was launched.

As the D-class boats searched, one of the kayakers was spotted paddling alone. He was found to be well, so was advised to head towards the nearby sheltered Gogarth Bay. However, when the all-weather lifeboat reached the bay, no lone kayaker could be found.

The inshore crew then used a white flare to signal to the Severn-class boat to meet up. En route, a crew member on the all-weather lifeboat spotted the lone kayaker in the water and picked them up. With worsening conditions and a larger search area required, Trearddur Bay RNLI was asked to help and its D-class Clive and Imelda Rawlins 2, and Atlantic 85 Hereford Endeavour, were launched.

Meanwhile, the Holyhead inshore crew found two of the kayakers near the South Stack coastline. They were advised to head to Abraham’s Bosom beach and were escorted by Trearddur Bay RNLI. They were met by local volunteer cliff rescue teams.

Rescue of kayaker in water

With two kayakers still missing, including the one who was known to have been in the water, the general search widened. They were then spotted and were taken aboard the all-weather lifeboat and assessed. The kayaker who had been in the water was suffering from exhaustion, the effects of the cold water and the ingestion of water.

Speaking of the rescue, Holyhead coxswain Mark Wade says, “This was not an easy search, as the sea conditions, along with bright sunshine, made it very difficult to spot any of the kayakers in the water, and the fact they were in three separate groups made this even more difficult. They were all well-equipped but had been caught by the strong tides.

“It was fortunate that we managed to locate all five casualties and bring them all back safely. This call could have ended with a different outcome, but thanks to the excellent team effort by our crew, our flank station Trearddur Bay and the cliff rescue volunteers, all ended well.”

The photo is credit of Holyhead RNLI.

Source: RNLI