Gusts of up to 60mph and "one of the biggest swells in 20 years" kept Falmouth Coastguard busy last night.

The coastguard rescue team were first paged at 6.38pm while training for the Castle to Castle swim.

A report came in of a square rigged vessel around the foot of the cliffs at Stack Point and five of the team went to investigate.

Once on scene, however, it was "established that the vessel was in fact a gazebo from someone's garden that had blown up and got caught about three quarters of the way down the cliff," a spokesman said.

While on their way back to base, a fresh report came in from the passenger boat Princessa that a 16ft punt had gotten into the trouble off the Prince of Wales Pier at 6.58pm.

Both the coastguard and the town's inshore lifeboat were tasked to the scene.

The punt had drifted all the way down to the visitor yacht haven, but was guided ashore by the inshore lifeboat.

The coastguard spokesman said that "considering the wind was gusting at times up to 60mph and the swell was one of the biggest in 20 years in the inner harbour," the lone yachtsman decision "to go out without a lifejacket on could have easily proven fatal." 

While on the scene, the coastguard also assisted a fishing boat getting its lines ashore as the owner was struggling in the bad weather.

The third call of the evening came at 7.19pm to the working boat Freja as she was dragging her anchor dangerously close to the break water pontoon on Port Pendennis Marina.

"The wind and rain was really blowing up at this point," the coastguard spokesman said, "the team on the pontoon were experiencing waves breaking at head height at some stages and were forced to take shelter behind the vessels on the breakwater."

Three vessels that were in danger of causing damage or being wrecked were made safe.

Onlooker Colin Mosney spotted the teams in action.

"Falmouth lifeboats are doing a great job trying to save a classic sailing boat off Custom House Quay," he said.

"Brave crews working in extreme conditions tonight, doing a great job."

At 7.18pm, sailor Peter Reason took to social networking website Twitter to describe boats being blown around in the harbour.

"Truly wild wind indicator touched 50 knots," he said, "boats all at crazy angles, people rushing to help each other - all in the shelter of Falmouth!"