 | | a mud rescue earlier this week |
Monday, May 19, 2008
MISSING MAN LOCATED ON UNINHABITED ISLAND At seven o clock last night Swansea Coastguard received a call from a man reporting that his friend had gone out on a speedboat early that morning and had not returned.
The man had reportedly been up all Saturday night and had been drinking when he decided to take his 12 foot speedboat out at half past six this morning to visit one of the islands in the Bristol Channel.
Swansea Coastguard initially requested the launch of Weston-super-Mare RNLI lifeboats to perform a search of the islands shore but after an extended search there was no sign of the missing man.
Swansea Coastguard then tasked Porthcawl, Barry, Penarth, Weston-super-Mare, Watchet, Porlock and Burnham On Sea Coastguard Rescue Teams to perform a search of the coast and harbour areas and requested Rescue 169 RAF Helicopter also be scrambled from Chivenor. RNLI Lifeboats from Weston-super-Mare, Minehead and Barry Dock were also launched.
As the light faded the helicopter spotted light from a fire on Steep Holm Island. Further investigations yielded that the missing gentleman was on the beach. The man was then taken into the Weston-super-Mare Inshore Lifeboat and arrived safely ashore at 22.20. The man did not require medical attention.
Swansea Coastguard Watch Manager Eric Birkett said:
We are pleased to report that after an evening of intensive searching by a large number of search and rescue resources the missing gentleman has been found safe and well.
The man took out his 12 foot, 20 horsepower speedboat this morning, and although he brought with him a lifejacket he was not equipped with flares or a radio.
As the man approached Steep Holm Island at nine o clock this morning the speedboats engine cut out and the vessel began taking on water. The man swam to the islands shore, by which time the speedboat had disappeared. He remained there until he was located by the helicopter at half past nine this evening.
The man on board this vessel was completely unprepared for this trip both in terms of his abilities and the equipment on board. We would always recommend that those going to sea carry a VHF radio with them as well as emergency flares so that if they run into difficulty they can contact the Coastguard as well as raising the alarm by attracting attention to themselves.
Undoubtedly both the lifejacket that was brought along as an afterthought, and the concerns of this mans friend, saved his life today. 24/6/08
TWO ladies stuck in the mud near Uphill have been rescued by emergency teams from Weston.
It is thought the pair, a 44-year-old mother and her daughter, in her 30s, bought an inflatable dinghy and tried to row to Brean Down from Uphill.
They were spotted by CCTV cameras on the seafront.
The town's coastguard was called out and mounted a rescue operation to bring the women back to shore.
The team also called in Weston RNLI and Burnham Area Rescue Hovercraft to help at the Black Rock area of the beach shortly before 3pm on Tuesday.
Spokesman Barrie Smith said: "It is just not a good idea to buy a 99p dingy and then try and take it out on the sea.
"These women were in serious danger and if they hadn't been picked up on camera things could have been much worse."
The mother and daughter were taken to Weston General Hospital by the coastguard MRU , suffering with the effects of the cold water. An annoying article in the Weston Mercury the same week Find your own way out of mud
26 June 2008
PEOPLE should not be rescued from mud in Weston Bay because it is causing bad publicity for the town, according to North Somerset's tourism chief.
Councillor Elfan Ap Rees says 'nobody has ever died' and he is concerned dramatic operations are giving out the wrong impression that the area is dangerous.
He said at a full council meeting on Tuesday night: "I am concerned about the bad publicity that could be caused if the rescues continue as they are in Weston Bay.
"Nobody has ever died in that area. I should imagine many people have got caught there but just made their own way back.
"The philosophy is that anyone who ends up in the mud in Weston Bay needs picking up.
"We do need to be aware of the risk but I am getting sick and tired of hearing the coastguard or fire service has gone out to rescue someone who doesn't need it.
"People are beginning to think Weston Bay might be dangerous but it's one of the safest beach areas in the country.
"Traditionally people have made their own way out so it is unnecessary to go and pull them out all the time."
Coastguard spokesman Barrie Smith has hit back at Cllr Ap Rees's comments, saying he and his team help to save lives every year.
Mr Smith said: "Weston Bay and beaches in the surrounding area do have particular hazards associated with mud, which is well-understood by the majority of residents and regular visitors to the area.
"However, the popularity of seaside holidays in general is increasing and a larger number of people are visiting who are unaware of, or do not understand, the risks presented by the large tidal ranges and deep mud.
"We are seeing an increase in the type of incident where people are getting themselves in a situation where they are unable to get to safety without help.
"Over the course of a year, the coastguard receives hundreds of calls concerning people trapped in the mud.
"The reason that deaths are rare is due to the actions of the coastguard teams and partner rescue services.
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