Two RNLI lifeboat crew
volunteers from Newquay are to receive the Thanks of the Institution on
Vellum after saving the lives of two men who were trapped on rocks in
January this year. A third crew member will also receive recognition from
the charity, as will a local surfer who assisted in the rescue.
The incident happened on
Wednesday 27 January 2010 when a couple of surfers who had been in
Whipsiderry Bay to the northeast of Newquay, noticed
two
men who appeared to be cut off by the tide. While one surfer headed ashore
to raise the alarm, the other made his way into Fern Cove to offer immediate
assistance. The two men, who had been out running, were dressed only in
shorts and t-shirts, had been trapped for two hours and were extremely cold.
The Newquay RNLI D class
inshore lifeboat Valerie Wilson was launched with experienced volunteer crew
Mark Morris at the helm. A surfer himself, he took time to carefully assess
the extremely challenging conditions, which included a north westerly ground
swell and a surf building up to 5 metres, before making an initial approach.
Pic L-R Craig Sommerville,
Richard Martin, Mark Morris
It was on the second run
in that Mark carefully threaded his way through the rocks to an area of
relative safety 20 metres to seaward of the casualties. While he was
assessing the most appropriate method of recovery, matters took an
unexpected turn. Assuming the lifeboat couldn’t get any closer to them, the
casualties, led by surfer Craig Sommerville, jumped off the rocks into a
nearby gully with the intention of swimming to where the RNLI crew
volunteers were. However, the runners were out of their depth in the high
swells and already weak and cold from their ordeal.
Mark Morris instantly
took decisive action. He directed fellow crew volunteers Aaron Trebilcock
and Richard Martin to get out of the lifeboat and while two of them steadied
the vessel, Aaron made his way to the casualties. Sometimes swimming,
sometimes scrambling across large boulders, he then returned with the first
runner - at times having to carry him - while surfer Craig Sommerville cared
for the other man.
This
journey was repeated for the second runner and throughout the ordeal
lifeboat crew and casualties were at risk of being thrown against the rocks
by the powerful surge.
Once the volunteer crew
and casualties were onboard the lifeboat, Mark Morris restarted the engine
and began the passage out through the surf. The first two waves they
encountered broke over the lifeboat as it punched through, completely
filling it with sea water.
Pic: Aaron Trebilcock
Once outside the surf
line the casualties were transferred to Newquay RNLI’s Atlantic 85 inshore
lifeboat Gladys Mildred and taken at speed to Newquay harbour and a waiting
ambulance.
Craig Sommerville who had
originally paddled in on his surfboard, made his own way out from the rocks,
but before departing the scene, the lifeboat crew established he was happy
and capable of returning to Whipsiderry Bay by himself.
Nigel Jones, RNLI Deputy
Divisional Inspector in the south west, says this was a tricky service that
placed huge demands on the volunteer crew and the lifeboat itself:
‘The ground swell and
surf made this an extremely demanding service and all three crew volunteers
handled the challenge in a professional manner, upholding the lifesaving
traditions of the RNLI. Their teamwork and commitment ensured the two
runners were successfully rescued and illustrates in a dramatic fashion the
importance of the charity’s crew training programme. I congratulate them all
on their awards, which recognise what they did that day. I also thank Craig
Sommerville who immediately he saw the two runners, chose to head in and
provide them with valuable support and assistance.
The D class inshore
lifeboat deserves a special mention too. These really are the workhorses of
the charity, especially around the rocky shoreline of our coast, and the
Newquay D class Valerie Wilson certainly proved her worth on this occasion.
She handled superbly in the conditions, powering safely through sets of very
large surf.’
Volunteer RNLI Helmsman
Mark Morris and Crew Member Aaron Trebilcock are awarded the Thanks of the
Institution on Vellum, volunteer Crew Member Richard Martin receives a
Framed Letter of Thanks signed by the RNLI Chairman and surfer, Craig
Sommerville receives a Letter of Appreciation signed by the RNLI Chief
Executive.
