It was a busy evening for Falmouth RNLI volunteers last week when they were called to a medical emergency on an isolated beach and a stranded yacht.

Volunteers launched their inshore lifeboat on Wednesday evening (August 30) to two separate incidents involving a medical emergency and a yacht aground.

The RNLI volunteer inshore lifeboat crew were assembling ready to go afloat on exercise on Wednesday evening when at 7pm, they were paged by Falmouth Coastguard following a 999 call for urgent medical assistance to a 34-year-old female on an isolated beach east of East Portholland.

The station’s B class Atlantic 85 lifeboat 'Robina Nixon Chard' launched within five minutes with four crew on board, including the station’s RNLI Lifeboat medical advisor, Rachael Wilson, arriving on scene at 7.33pm.

HM Coastguard helicopter, Rescue 924 from Newquay Airport and Mevagissey Coastguard Rescue team had also been tasked to assist.

On arrival at thebeach, it was found that the casualty had been transferred by dinghy to the nearby car park, where the casualty was now sat in the family car. The lifeboat dropped the doctor and another crew member ashore to administer casualty care.

After being stabilised by the doctor, the casualty's partner drove her and crew members three minutes up the hill to the awaiting helicopter, where once checked out by the Coastguard paramedic,  shewas transferred to the helicopter to be taken to hospital.

The two lifeboat crew were returned to the beach and to the lifeboat, which then returned to collect the remaining four members of the family, dropping them back at the car park.

The lifeboat was released by the coastguard at 8.42pm, returning to Falmouth lifeboat station at 9.24pm, closing down ready for service at 9.50pm.

At 10.56pm, shortly after the crew had returned home, the pagers sounded once again after a radio call was received by the Coastguard advising that a 34ft yacht had run aground in the Percuil River, St Mawes.

The inshore lifeboat launched at 11.08pm, arriving on scene at 11.23pm. As the tide was only one hour off low tide, the lifeboat was unable to get fully alongside or to refloat the yacht.

In discussion with the casualty and noting that the yacht had not been damaged, the lifeboat crew confirmed that the occupants were happy to stay aboard and refloat the vessel on the incoming tide.

The lifeboat was, therefore, released, returning to station by midnight, closing down once again at 12.15am, allowing the crew to get some well deserved rest.

With these call outs, this year, both Falmouth lifeboats have now exceeded the total number of services from 2022, with the all-weather lifeboat being called out 25 times and the inshore lifeboat 66 times.