New rescue boards, and a curious catch, for Mawgan Porth

A calm evening paddle round the coast from Porthcothan to Mawgan Porth was meant to be a straightforward test of some brand new kit. By the time the crew reached the sand, they had explored a few sea caves, put a new fleet of rescue boards through their first proper outing, and hauled a tangle of old fishing rope out of the sea with them.

A fleet of new boards, and a grant that made it possible

Monday night’s training paddle was the first real test for Mawgan Porth Surf Life Saving Club‘s new rescue boards, generously funded by a grant from the Denzell Downs Community Fund, which supports community projects across St Mawgan in Pydar and Colan. The fund awarded the club £4,799 towards the new equipment, and the club added a further £1,867.50 of its own money, taking the total spent on the new boards to £6,666.50.

For a volunteer-led charity, funding like this is everything. It means the club can focus on training its members and keeping beachgoers safe, rather than making do with ageing kit or worrying whether its gear is up to the job.

Why Mawgan Porth needs the extra cover

Mawgan Porth’s beach is beautiful, but it doesn’t always behave. Strong currents, changing tides and rip currents catch people out every year, and not always the people you’d expect. Even strong swimmers and experienced surfers have needed help there. RNLI lifeguards patrol the beach through the season and do a fantastic job of it, but they cannot be on the sand every hour of every day. Plenty of incidents happen in the evening, or outside the main summer months, when there is no lifeguard cover at all.

That is where the club’s trained surf life saving volunteers come in. Rescue boards let a volunteer reach someone in trouble quickly, keep them afloat, and bring them back to shore, and the new fleet means the club can respond with more confidence when it counts.

Training that never really stops

The boards will earn their keep every week, used in regular training sessions that run from the club’s Nippers and junior members right through to its adult volunteers. The more people train with proper equipment, the sharper their skills stay, and well drilled rescuers are the ones who save lives. It is also a boost for the wider community. Locals, holidaymakers, families, surfers and swimmers all benefit when trained people, and the right kit, are ready to help outside lifeguard hours too.

The catch nobody was training for

On Monday, that training turned into something else entirely. As the crew paddled the calm stretch between Porthcothan and Mawgan Porth, weaving in and out of a few sea caves along the way, they came across a huge tangle of abandoned fishing rope drifting in the water. Rather than leave it, they hauled it out and paddled it all the way back to shore, turning a training session into a beach clean-up almost by accident.

“Huge thanks to everyone who supported the grant that got us these boards, and to the team for turning a training session into a clean-up too,” the club said afterwards.

📷Credit: Mawgan Porth Surf Life Saving Club