Fowey RNLI lifeboats search off Pentewan for empty paddleboard

A paddleboard drifting out to sea with no-one on it is the kind of sight that sets alarm bells ringing, and on Sunday afternoon it launched both of Fowey’s lifeboats. The catch was that nobody knew whether anyone had ever been on it in the first place.

A call from the coast near Pentewan

On Sunday 26 July, the day after her official naming ceremony, Fowey’s Atlantic 85, Spirit of Daisy, was tasked by Falmouth Coastguard following a report of a paddleboard being blown offshore near Pentewan with no-one aboard. It was not certain whether anyone had been on it, which is exactly the sort of uncertainty that turns a possible false alarm into a full launch.

Fowey’s D Class lifeboat, which was at a PR event at Charlestown Regatta at the time, was also tasked to attend.

Two lifeboats, a moving target

The D Class was first to arrive on scene and began searching the coastline. Nothing turned up. After talking it through with the coastguard, the crew were told that the person who had called in the sighting was at the nearby sailing club.

The lifeboat crew went to the sailing club, where the informant pointed out the general direction of the sighting, roughly one and a half miles offshore. They headed to that position and were joined by the Atlantic 85 for a wider search of the area towards Mevagissey and the mussel farm, before returning to Pentewan for another look along the coastline.

Stood down

Nothing was found. The coastguard confirmed that no-one had been reported missing, and both lifeboats were stood down. They returned to the station at 6:30pm.

📷Fowey's Atlantic 85 and D class lifeboats at the naming ceremony - Credit: Fowey RNLI