Volunteers at Fenit RNLI were involved in a call-out on Tuesday night (17 September) to two swimmers in difficulty at Little Samphire Lighthouse near Fenit Pier. Lifeboat volunteers were on a training exercise at sea when the call was received and the lifeboat was immediately diverted to the scene. The two young men, who were staying with a family locally, had decided to swim from Fenit beach to the lighthouse and back when they realised they were not be able to return to the beach safely.
At the time, Denise Lynch, a station coxswain who was out kayaking, spotted the pair and went to check on them. They had just made it to the lighthouse but were freezing cold and felt that they would be unable to make the return swim. Denise then raised the call for help.
Fenit volunteer crew Padraig Brick and Cian Lawless were out in the station’s inshore lifeboat on exercise, with coastal trainer Sean Ginnelly, when the lifeboat was diverted from exercise to go to the aid of the young men. Taking the two casualties onboard the lifeboat, the volunteer crew took them back into the safety of the harbour and inside the lifeboat station, where they were put into thermal layers used by the lifeboat crew. The two swimmers were extremely cold but were in good spirits.
RNLI volunteer coxswain Terry Sheehy, who had been monitoring the situation from the station, went and collected their clothes from the beach and alerted the place they were staying. Commenting on the call-out, Sean Ginnelly said: “It was a beautiful night in Fenit and perfect conditions for a training exercise. There was a large number of people in the area, enjoying the weather and we were aware that we might get a call-out.
“Lifeboat crew train for every type of situation and this is one where timing was so important. People don’t realise that the water is very cold at this time of year and that when they set out on swim to a point that looks nearby, with tides and currents, it can be a lot harder than it looks to complete it. “Padraig and Cian swung into action and I was delighted to see the training being put into a real-life situation that ended well.
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