COASTGUARDS RESCUE THREE LADS CUT OFF BY TIDE ON CLIFF FACE


Three young men from the Manchester area were rescued by the Bembridge Coastguard Rescue Team yesterday after becoming stuck in three different places on the face of the high chalk cliffs at Culver Down, on the east side of the Isle of Wight.

The young men, aged 16, 17 and 18, were trying to travel round the headland from Whitecliffe Bay to Sandown Bay when the tide overtook their efforts and forced them to climb further up the cliffs. They had been advised locally that they could get all the way around the headland at low tide.

The youths called 999 at about 5.30 pm and spoke to Solent Coastguard who requested the Bembridge Coastguard Rescue Team  to search for, and rescue the three. The Bembridge RNLI lifeboat was also requested to launch. The young men were located, about 40 feet from the bottom of the cliffs. Two different coastguard rescue officers were then lowered down the 300-foot cliffs to rescue the teenagers from three different positions on the chalk face. All three were lowered into the lifeboat, then taken back to Bembridge Lifeboat Station. Other than a few cuts and bruises, they were none the worse for their ordeal.

Martin Groom, one of the two coastguards who rescued the teenagers said: “The three young men were in very tricky positions for us to get at, since they were spread along the cliffs and we needed to move along the chalk face for each one. They had naturally moved into the folds and gullies of the cliff where they were less likely to fall. This made it difficult to get in to them to put them into our harness.  However, our gear allows us to manoeuvre up and down independently allowing us to carry out the rescues”.

Bembridge Coastguard Station Officer Jim Roberts said:

“These three lads were fortunate that we were able to get to them quickly to rescue them. We were pleased that they did have the presence of mind to call 999 and ask for the coastguard when they realised that they needed help. Don’t forget that you can do this even if you have no credit on your phone or if the phone is locked. Tell the coastguard what the problem is and where you are. You may need to stay on the line to direct rescuers to the scene.

“If you are not sure of times for tides, do not take risks. Always check the weather and tidal conditions before you set out.”


Popular posts from this blog

Label your kit at the coast

Image
Kayaks. Canoes. Paddleboards. What do they all have in common? They’re quite often found on the coastline or drifting out to sea. And if we don’t know who they belong to, we can spend time searching for an owner when they’re home safe and sound. So please help us to help you. Label your kit so that if you do get separated from it, and it turns up somewhere, we can get hold of you. In recent weeks, our Coastguard Rescue Teams have found numerous items such as kayaks and canoes drifting out at sea or abandoned near the shoreline. Unfortunately, some of the items we have found have not had their owners’ contact details written on them nor been reported as missing to the Coastguard. As a result, it makes it difficult for us to find out who it belongs to and also means we can never be completely sure if someone is safe or in the worst case, in trouble at sea. This can place a huge strain on our resources especially during the busy summer period when we have to call upon our Coastgua
Read more

A short history of HM Coastguard

Image
Today HM Coastguard is a world leader in maritime search and rescue. Looking back almost 200 years, the goods, which now travel by road, were carried by hundreds of small ships. Year in year out dozens of ships and hundreds of lives were lost within sight of the coast. Public shock and dismay at the tragedies drove forward the creation of national life saving organisations. Though it’s beginnings lie in those decades HM Coastguard originated not to meet the dangers of the seas but to combat a threat to the country’s economy and security – smuggling. As soon as medieval taxes were charged on imports and exports, people began smuggling. By 1743 th e estimate was that half the tea drunk in Britain was illegally imported and shows that smuggling was highly profitable. Smugglers have often been romanticised but the reality was brutal. Local people lived in fear, with violent reprisals on informers and the murder of revenue officers, while corruption enabled smugglers to evade harsh p
Read more

BOSCASTLE FLOODS: TEN YEARS ON

Image
Boscastle Flooding 16 th August 2004 The storms of Monday 16 August 2004 saw three weeks worth of rain fall in one day. The resulting water began to be funnelled down the valleys surrounding Boscastle and soon the steep roads became rivers. By the time that the water reached the picturesque village, it had picked up enough momentum to become a raging torrent, sweeping into buildings, washing cars away and felling huge trees. Graham King runs the Witches Museum in Boscastle and was also the station officer for the Boscastle Coastguard Rescue Team at the time of the floods: “ My museum is situated next to the harbour near the river ,” says Graham “ and I can see the coastguard equipment store from there. Initially I was concerned that the vehicle and equipment were going to become stranded but I soon began to realise how quickly the situation was deteriorating and called Falmouth Coastguard ” From that point on the villagers and tourists stranded in flood waters were he
Read more