Looe RNLI out twice as overdue sailor sparks night search

A passenger taken ill out in the bay by teatime, then an overdue sailor and an empty boat somewhere in the dark by midnight. Monday ran one shout straight into the next for the volunteer crews at Looe.

📷Courtesy of MarineTraffic

The afternoon call

The first page reached the crews at 3.35pm on Monday 10 August. The skipper of a local tripping boat out in Looe bay had asked for help after one of the passengers was taken poorly.

The volunteers launched the RNLI‘s Atlantic 85 and headed out to meet the tripping boat as it made its way back towards Looe. Two crew members went aboard to carry out a casualty care assessment, and the lifeboat escorted the boat in. Back at the station, the passenger was taken ashore and handed into the care of the ambulance service.

📷Courtesy of MarineTraffic

A midnight search around Rame Head

The pagers sounded again at 11pm. This time the Looe crews were tasked to join Plymouth RNLI, Looe Coastguard and the Tamar Coastguard Rescue Team, along with the coastguard’s Rescue 924 helicopter, in a search around Rame Head for an overdue sailor.

An unoccupied boat was found onshore. With that, Looe’s Atlantic 85 and D Class inshore lifeboats, together with Plymouth’s all-weather and Atlantic lifeboats, began working their way along the shoreline. The teams were stood down after the sailor was found safe ashore.

📷Credit: Eric Candy

Recovery from the Banjo Pier

By the time the boats came back to Looe it was into the small hours, and the tide had dropped right out. The recovery of the Atlantic 85 and the D Class was carried out across the low water in the dark, with the tractor and shore crew working under lights.

The pictures of that night-time recovery were taken from the Banjo Pier by Eric Candy, one of the station’s shore crew and launch authorities.

📷Credit: Eric Candy