Falmouth lifeboats scrambled after paddleboarders miss check-in

Just after midnight on Monday, pagers were going off across Falmouth for two paddleboarders nobody had heard from in nearly three hours.

A call to the coastguard

Falmouth Coastguard had received a call about two paddleboarders who had launched from Maenporth Beach and not been in touch since 9.30pm. The Falmouth Coastguard Rescue Team and HM Coastguard Helicopter 924, based at Newquay Airport, were also tasked to help in the search.

Two lifeboats in the water within minutes

Falmouth’s RNLI volunteers launched the inshore lifeboat, Robina Nixon Chard, at 12.14am. The station’s all-weather lifeboat, Decibel Too, followed three minutes later, both crewed by people who had been asleep in their own beds minutes before their pagers went off.

Stood down once the pair were found safe

All three assets, the two lifeboats and the helicopter, were stood down again once the paddleboarders were found safe and well ashore. It is the kind of callout that can run long into the night or wrap up within the hour, and for everyone involved, this one ended the good way.

What to do if you’re heading out on a board

The RNLI crews across Cornwall deal with call-outs like this through the summer, and their message afterwards was a simple one. Take a lifejacket, a leash and a means of communication with you every time you launch. And if someone at home is expecting you back, check in with them regularly, especially once you’re safely ashore. It costs nothing and it is the difference between a quiet night and a pager going off at midnight.

📷Credit: Simon Culliford / RNLI