Rhyl RNLI Lifeboat Station had a hectic afternoon yesterday after the volunteer crew members launched the inshore lifeboat 5 times between 1pm and 6pm. There was an ebbing tide and an offshore breeze, which caught many holidaymakers unaware.
As well as searching for missing children, the crew also had to recover abandoned inflatable dinghies, or escort people in dinghies ashore.
The most potentially dangerous rescue occurred when the crew launched to a 2-metre inflatable dinghy with 1 male adult and 3 small children, aged from 4 to 9, on board. The overloaded inflatable was powered by the adult with 2 oars. They were about 500m out from Kinmel Bay when the Rhyl beach lifeguards spotted them, with the adult trying to row ashore against the wind and tide. The man had managed to get about 300m out but was tiring when the crew arrived on the scene.
The male adult and children were wearing swimwear and did not have a lifejacket. All four were taken on the inshore lifeboat and taken back to the shore where their family were waiting. The adult was unaware of the danger that they were in, but was educated by local coastguards on his return to the shore.
There was a great deal of co-operation between the local council beach lifeguards, the volunteer coastguards, and the volunteer crew of the RNLI for during the day yesterday.
