Why St Ives RNLI crew held back off Godrevy Point

A fisherman on the rocks, a rising tide and a worried member of the public. That was enough to send St Ives’ inshore lifeboat racing across the bay before most of the town was up.

But once the crew got there, the smartest move turned out to be staying put.

An early call to Godrevy Point

At 7.05am on Wednesday 28 October, Falmouth Coastguard tasked St Ives RNLI to carry out a welfare check on a fisherman who may have been cut off by the tide near Godrevy Point.

The D class inshore lifeboat launched under the command of Helm Jonathan Harvey, with volunteer crew members Jack Hill and Connor Richardson on board. They made best speed across the bay towards the point.

Why the lifeboat kept its distance

Once on scene, the crew found the fisherman. He appeared to be in a good position and in no difficulty.

Jonathan weighed up the conditions. With a sizeable swell running, he decided the safest option was to hold position where the crew had a clear view of the fisherman, rather than moving in towards the rocks.

So the inshore lifeboat Donald Dean sat just offshore for ten minutes and kept watch. The fisherman then packed up, moved off the rocks and made his way safely back onto the coastal path.

With him away from the water, the lifeboat was stood down and the crew headed back to St Ives. The boat was made ready for service again by 8.20am.

“They absolutely did the right thing”

The call was made with good intent, and the crew were keen that the person who raised the alarm knows it.

Jonathan said: “We would like to reassure the member of the public who raised the alarm that they absolutely did the right thing. We’d much rather respond and find that everything is ok than risk someone getting into difficulty.”

📷St Ives RNLI's inshore lifeboat Donald Dean (not from this shout). Credit: RNLI/Tim Stevens