Swansea kayaker's praise for teams in sea rescue
A KAYAKER has thanked rescue teams after she and a friend were saved from the sea in Mumbles.
Tracey Porter, 43, and Andrew Jones, 47, from Mumbles, Swansea, got into difficulty about ten minutes after leaving the shore at Limeslade Bay.
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Limeslade Bay
The pair swam to nearby rocks after they could not get back onto their craft, where Mr Jones managed to climb up.
“We heard whistles and shouting and we were told the coastguard was on the way,” Ms Porter said.
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“I didn’t want to leave Andrew, who was in shock at this point, but I couldn’t climb onto the rocks so I started to swim to shore.
“With that, two kayaks in the area managed to bring Andrew back to the beach.
“We were lucky that it was a busy day and it was good weather, because there were around 20 or 30 people at the beach.
“Within minutes the Mumbles RNLI and Mumbles Inshore lifeboat turned up and I can’t praise them enough.
“They tested Andrew for water on the lungs, and thoroughly checked us over before the ambulance arrived.”
Following the incident around lunchtime last Sunday, Tracey has supported calls to rethink the closure of Swansea Coastguard Station, which is the second busiest in the UK.
The station in Mumbles is set to close in 2015 following a controversial review of the UK's coastguard provision which will see stations shut around the country.
“We were lucky this time but it could have ended in tragedy,” added Tracey.
Campaign group, Save Swansea Coastguard, previously claimed the move to close the station would put lives at risk, and has supported calls for an independent risk assessment for its removal to be carried out.
They said the full implications of the closures had forced Westminster’s Transport Select Committee to announce it was now inviting interested parties to submit further written evidence on how the Government's changes to the coastguard service were being implemented.
A Welsh Government spokesman said that since coastguard policy was not devolved, the First Minister had written to the Secretary of State for Transport asking him to commission a full and independent assessment of the risks associated with the decision to close Swansea Coastguard Station and, because of the impact on Wales, indicated that the Welsh Government would be willing to contribute towards the costs of this assessment.
Comments
by Stork
Monday, September 03 2012, 5:57PM
“I see that Russell Crowe almost came to grief this weekend on his kayak.
It just shows that the sea is not particular, about who it tries to take.”
by Stork
Monday, September 03 2012, 12:53PM
“It doesn't take much to turn some canoes and kayaks into the water. The story doesn't say how experienced these two people were. But if they're new to the sport, they should start off on somewhere like Aberavon Beach where if you fall off, you land on softish sand, not sharp pointy rocks. A lucky escape.”
by huwwuh
Monday, September 03 2012, 9:37AM
“Were they wearing helmets, buoyancy aids and were they carrying means by which they could make the distress they were in known? If not they should be billed for costs of the rescue and that money put towards paying for the Coastguard Station.”