TV showed crews going to help lone yachtsman
CLOVELLY'S lifeboat heroes featured on national TV last week on Saving Lives at Sea.
As the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) marks 200 years of lifesaving, the volunteer lifeboat crew of Clovelly featured in the ninth series of the popular show on BBC Two on Tuesday, April 16.
In last week's episode, Clovelly RNLI crews battled against 50mph winds as Storm Mathis battered the South West coast.
Hours before, volunteers from Appledore RNLI had been paged to assist a lone yachtsman whose vessel had lost power and sustained damage to its sails.
After a long search they finally located the stricken yacht, managed to attach a tow rope with the aim of reaching the shelter of Bideford Bay. However, the strain of the difficult conditions parted the tow rope twice before they reached calmer water off the coast of Clovelly.
After the tow broke for the second time, Clovelly's inshore lifeboat crew launched as the safest option was to anchor the yacht and take the sailor off.
Although in calmer water, the strong winds continued to make the sea conditions challenging for Clovelly's volunteers as they came alongside the yacht to rescue the casualty.
“It's fantastic to see our station featured on such a popular television show,” said Clovelly RNLI's Suzi Marsh.
“Our volunteers work hard all year round to train and save lives at sea, but this rescue was particularly dramatic. The footage captured by our helmet cams shows just how bad the conditions were that day – it really puts into perspective what our volunteers can face when the pagers sound.
“We hope our little moment in the spotlight will help to highlight how important the RNLI is to the local community.”
Filming took place over the past year.