ON Saturday, July 2, at 9.07 am, Looe RNLI volunteers received a crew assemble request. They were tasked to meet a local fishing charter boat which was returning to Looe with an injured passenger onboard. Meeting the boat on East Looe quayside our volunteer crew along with members of Looe Coastguard Rescue team assisted the casualty ashore into the lifeboat station and administered casualty care until the Ambulance service arrived.

At 8.41 am on Sunday morning, July 3, 2022, crew pagers sounded again requesting the immediate launch of the charity’s Atlantic 85, Sheila and Dennis Tongue II. Three persons on board a 18’ fishing boat had issued a pan pan message requesting assistance as their boat was suffering engine problems. Our volunteer crew soon arrived on scene, approx. 1 mile south of Looe Island. Unable to restart the engines due to electrical problems, and confirming none of the 3 occupants were injured, our helm, decided the best course of action was to tow the boat back to Looe. Establishing the tow, the boat was taken to a mooring on West Looe Quayside.

Will Jaycock ( )

This was the first operational shout for Will Jaycock , one of our three new volunteer boat crew,

Whilst our volunteer crews were pleased to find the occupants on the boat were wearing lifejackets, the RNLI offers the following safety advice for anyone taking a boat out to sea:

  • Always wear an appropriate lifejacket.
  • Always carry a means of calling and signalling for help.
  • Ensure there is an emergency action plan in place, and everybody has an onboard briefing (in particular on the location and use of the safety equipment, including the spare kill cord for powerboats).
  • Get the right level of training for your craft.
  • Always check the weather and tide times.
  • Make sure someone ashore knows where you are going and who to call if you don’t return on time.
  • Always drive your boat at a speed that is appropriate to the weather conditions and to the environment you are operating in

  • Knowing your boat, carrying spares and being able to fit them could make the difference between having to call for help and being able to help yourself