HM
Lynmouth
Coastguard |
At
0112
on
Thursday
12
June the
Countisbury
Coastguard
team
were
called
to
search
and
recover
a
man
who
had
fallen
over
the
wall
on
Lynmouth
Hill
into
the
Ravine
of
the
West
Lyn
River.
The
man
in
his
late
50s
had
fallen
whilst
walking
up
Lynmouth
Hill
towards
Lynton
with
his
partner.
Six
team
members
arrived
on
scene
and
with
the
help
of
the
police
officers
and
an
ambulance
crew
began
the
search,
he
was
quickly
located
about
90
feet
down
from
the
road.
Team
members
Mike
Cleverdon,
Dave
Harding
and
Jay
Clatworthy
using
rescue
lines
and
harnesses
descended
to
the
man
and
secured
him,
assessed
his
injuries
and,
in
agreement
with
the
ambulance
paramedic,
then
slowly
winched
and
assisted
him
with
the
aid
of
the
rest
of
the
team
Claire
Jordan,
Andrew
Richards
and
DSO
Stuart
Martin
using
ropes
and
rescue
harness
back
up
to
the
road.
Deputy
Station
Officer
Stuart
Martin
of
Countisbury
Coastguard
said,
the
man
was
lucky
to
have
escaped
with
relatively
minor
injuries
where
he
fell
from,
if
he
had
continued
falling
down
the
steep
sides
of
the
ravine,
not
only
would
it
have
been
a
very
difficult
rescue
but
there
is
a
much
longer
and
straight
drop
into
the
ravine
and
the
rocky
riverbed
below.
It
was
lucky
that
the
man
had
someone
with
him
to
alert
the
emergency
services
otherwise
he
may
not
have
been
reported
missing
or
even
found
for
days
and
the
outcome
could
have
been
far
worse.
It
is
a
long
steep
walk
up
Lynmouth
Hill
and
you
often
see
people
sat
on
the
wall
to
rest.
It
is
possibly
the
one
of
the
last
incidents
that
Countisbury
coastguard
will
have
to
deal
with,
as
they
are
very
shortly
moving
to
Lynmouth
where
they
will
take
up
their
new
station
and
new
identity
as
Lynmouth
Coastguard.
Swansea
coastguard
rescue
co-ordination
centre,
co-ordinated
the
rescue,
and
the
man
was
treated
by
West
Country
ambulance
from
Barnstaple.
At 1538 on Saturday 14th June, the Countisbury Coastguard team were called to aid in the search and recovery of 5 youths who were soon to be cut off by the tide. They were located on the beach just East of Foreland point. The 5 youths all from Bridgwater were on their Duke of Edinburgh award assessment when they had become disorientated and found themselves on the beach, they continued walking west, towards Lynmouth hoping to find a way off the beach. Realising their predicament with a rising tide, they spotted a yacht anchored just off shore one of them swam out to the yacht to raise the alarm. The Minehead lifeboat was tasked to the scene and once there began taking the youths off of the beach to the safety of the yacht, under the watchful eye of the coastguard team. The yacht was skippered by a paramedic who checked them all out, they were slightly dehydrated but none the worse for wear, they were all put back aboard the Minehead lifeboat and taken to Lynmouth to be re-united with the rest of their group who were staying at Beggars roost, with the help of the Countisbury Coastguard team. Stuart Martin the Deputy Station Officer for the Coastguard team praised the youths, their training with the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme did them proud, realising their predicament and acknowledging their capabilities, allowed them to make the decision that they needed help instead of trying to brave it out, as is so often seen in youths, which could have got them into even more trouble. Swansea
coastguard
MRSC,
co-ordinated
the
rescue.
On
Monday
evening
at
about
8pm
Lynmouth
Coastguard
were
called
to
assist
Diane
Lewis
the
local
RSPCA
ambulance
driver
and
a
representative
from
the
Lynton
Friends
of
the
Goats
group
in
the
rescue
of
a
stranded
goat
on
the
cliff
face
below
North
Walk
Lynton,
the
goat
had
been
spotted
by
local
boatman
Matthew
Oxenham
twice
during
the
day
and
it
had
not
moved
indicating
that
it
was
trapped
or
injured.
The coastguard team headed by station officer Andy Cleverdon mustered at North Walk and with the help of Mr Oxenham looking from his boat located the goat and set-up for a cliff descent, coastguards Dave Harding and deputy station officer Stuart Martin descended the cliff taking an animal rescue bag for the safe retrieval of the goat. While the rest of the team, Lee Borrett, Claire Jordan and Jay Clatworthy tended to the cliff ropes ensuring a safe descent of the 200 metre cliffs to where the goat was trapped. the goat was cliff team subsequently returned to the cliff top, the goat was considered safe and well and returned to the wild herd or goats that live in the Valley of the Rocks at Lynton. It was truly a team effort with the coastguard team providing the necessary rescue support to assist the RSPCA and goat group representative in the safe recovery of the goat allowing for safety of the people involved in the rescue. On Saturday 9 August at about 9.30, Lynmouth Coastguard team were called to search for a missing 19-year-old man. He had left his friends in the afternoon at Woody Bay to walk along the rocky beach to Lee Bay. He had not met with his friends as arranged and so the alarm was raised. A team of six Lynmouth Coastguards lead by Station Officer Andy Cleverdon mustered to assess the search area, the search commenced with the use of parachute flares. Due to the darkness, foggy conditions and the time that he had been missing the Ilfracombe lifeboat was requested to launch to assist in the search at sea level, the Porlock Coastguard team were also called to help in the search. Coastguards questioned a person living in the Woody Bay area, who confirmed that they had seen a man matching the description, climbing the cliffs earlier. At about midnight the man was located on Lee Bay beach having walked and climbed along the beach in total darkness. He had indeed climbed the cliffs to escape the high tide, and then fell, luckily only sustaining minor injuries. He then waited for the tide to recede before making his way along the beach to Lee bay where he was found by coastguards Robert Pile and Nigel Binding, the team returned him to his friends at the camp site they were staying at. Station Officer Andy Cleverdon said, we used parachute flares to illuminate the area of search, the added result was that members of the public called Swansea Coastguard reporting that they had seen flares, well done to the people who phoned in, it is often the case that a flare is seen and people do not phone worrying that they are making a fuss or assuming that someone else has already made a call about it. As we have said before, prevention is better than cure and should you see anything or anyone doing anything you would consider silly or dangerous in and around the coast, or in need of obvious help please do not hesitate to call 999 for the coastguards, every call will be treated sincerely and treated accordingly. In this instance when the man failed to appear as arranged his friends made the call to the coastguards, a good practice to be adopted by anyone walking the beaches and cliffs, especially if alone. |