At 01:45 Falmouth Coastguard requested that Falmouth Inshore Lifeboat be launched to assist the single handed skipper of the 23ft Gaff Rigged Tosher JoJo who was suffering from a diabetic attack and whose boat had run aground under St Anthony Lighthouse.

The Inshore Lifeboat launched from her slipway at 01:52 arriving on scene at 01:58. As the Inshore Lifeboat approached the lighthouse the boats masthead light could be seen on the eastern side of the headland, and on rounding St Anthony the gaffer could be clearly seen aground in one of the gullies. The inshore lifeboat was taken into the gully and a crewman was put onboard to assess the situation.

It soon became apparent that the skipper had been unconscious for a number of hours and although he had regained consciousness and eaten a number of bananas to raise his sugar levels he was still very confused and needed to be checked over by a doctor. At 02:09 the Inshore Lifeboat therefore requested that the All Weather Lifeboat be launched with a doctor onboard to assess the casualty and transport him back to the lifeboat station, while the Inshore Lifeboat stood by the vessel.

At 02:17 the All Weather Lifeboat left its pontoon berth arriving on scene at 22:26. The casualty was transferred to the All Weather Lifeboat by the Inshore Lifeboat and at 22:35 the All Weather Lifeboat headed back to station with the casualty onboard. By 02:45 the Inshore Lifeboat had managed to refloat the vessel and towed her clear of the rocks. It was then taken in tow to Falmouth where it was safely moored alongside at Port Pendennis Marina at 03:36.

The Inshore Lifeboat was back on its slipway by 03:43 where it was refuelled, and was ready for service by 04:02.

The JoJo had been on passage from Plymouth to Falmouth. The skipper remembers dropping his mainsail at 21:30 as he approached his mooring off Loe Beach when he also phoned his friend. He next remembers some time after 01:00 becoming aware of the beam of the lighthouse above him and that his boat was aground on the rocks. Although still very confused he instinctively eat some bananas, which helped stabilise his condition and then used his mobile phone to raise the alarm. Miraculously the boat had travelled over 4 miles before running aground at the entrance to the harbour without suffering any damage when it grounded. Otherwise it would have drifted out into the English Channel.

An Inshore Lifeboat Service

 

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