Falmouth lifeboat launched into Storm Betty motorboat rescue

Despite rough weather warnings, the Severn class all weather lifeboat 'Richard Cox Scott' launched into storm Betty on Friday night.

The call came after Falmouth Coastguard received a call from a 24ft motorboat with one person on board that had engine failure one mile off of East Portholland.

The volunteer crew were paged at 10.33pm, launching the lifeboat at 10.47pm into a 2.5m swell and south / south westerly force 7 to gale force 8 winds.

Once afloat, the lifeboat was asked to go at its best speed as the stricken boat was now just half a mile off of the coast.

The lifeboat arrived on scene at 11.30pm to find the vessel was now aground and that Coastguard Rescue Teams from Portscatho and Mevagissey were on scene.

The lifeboat stood off and illuminated the scene, before the Coastguard rescue helicopter arrived at 11.43pm and confirmed that one person remained on board the vessel. A winchman was lowered to assist the shore teams that had now reached the vessel that was now accessible due to the receding tide.

One person was taken off the boat and walked ashore for medical assessment before being released to home.

The rescue helicopter was released at midnight and the vessel left grounded, with the lifeboat also being released from service seven minutes later, returning towards the station when at 12.14am, it was re-tasked to assist the inshore lifeboat in the River Fal.

Portscatho mobile returned to the boat on Saturday morning morning to find that it had been lost to the incoming tide.

Then on Saturday the Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat today marked its 13th call this month and the 86th call out for the volunteer crew this year with a call out to a "drifting" boat.

The second service for our Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat today marks its 13th call this month and the 86th call out for our volunteer crew this year. (Image: Falmouth RNLI)

The call came at 6.55pm following a member of the public reporting a drifting boat with four people on board just off Pendennis Point to the coastguard.

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The lifeboat 'Robin Nixon Chard' launched at 7.05pm into a south westerly force 4 wind, arriving on scene eight minutes later, where the crew of four found all to be safe and well and fishing.

After the crew gave advice to the occupants of the boat concerning the wearing of lifejackets, the lifeboat was released by the coastguard, returning to station at 7.27pm.

The lifeboat crew said considering the conditions, this was a false alarm but with good intentions.