Looe RNLI: check the wind before you paddle

You are on the water off Looe, the sea looks manageable, and then the wind starts pushing you further out rather than helping you back to shore. That is the trap a kayaker fell into on the river this afternoon, and it is the same one the RNLI say has been catching people out around the county for weeks.

What happened this afternoon

At 2.15pm on Wednesday 19 August, the volunteer crew at RNLI Looe Lifeboat Station launched the charity’s D Class inshore lifeboat, D-872 Ollie Naismith II, after a report that someone on a sit on kayak was being blown out to sea around 400 metres off the Banjo Pier. A paddleboarder was also reported to be heading over to help.

As the lifeboat rounded Little Pier to head down the river, the crew met the casualty already being escorted back to the slipway by another boat. Once the crew had confirmed this was the kayaker who had been reported in difficulty, and that the paddleboarder needed no assistance themselves, they were stood down and waited by the slipway while the D Class was recovered back into the boathouse.

Why an offshore wind catches people out

The danger is not always obvious from the beach. An RNLI crew is trained to spot conditions that look fine from the shore but turn hard work the moment someone tries to paddle back against them. This afternoon those offshore winds combined with the strong outgoing tidal currents to make the river estuary difficult to return to, exactly the combination that turns a normal paddle into a call for help.

Offshore winds have been behind several call outs for the volunteer crew over the last couple of months, a pattern the station is keen for people to understand before they head out rather than after.

What to check before you paddle

Before venturing into the bay on a kayak, paddleboard or anything else that floats, check that the wind direction is not blowing offshore. A breeze that feels gentle on the beach can be the exact thing that stops you getting back to it.

Always wear a buoyancy aid, and always take a method of calling for help with you. Both are simple, and both are the difference between a short trip out and a much longer one.

If it goes wrong

In an emergency, call 999 and ask for the coastguard.

📷Credit: Looe RNLI / Ian Foster