Trio saved by lifeboat crew after inflatable drifts off North Wales coast

Three people were rescued on Sunday afternoon after their inflatable boat was blown around four miles out to sea from Colwyn Bay.

Rhyl’s volunteer lifeboat crew were paged at 2:35pm after Holyhead Coastguard received a 999 call from the casualties.

They reported having launched their inflatable from the west end of Colwyn Bay but were unable to return due to strong winds.

Rhyl’s all-weather lifeboat launched at 3:05pm and began searching from north of Rhyl towards Colwyn Bay. Coastguard teams from Rhyl and Llandudno carried out shoreline searches.

After an hour and a half, the Coastguard regained contact with the casualties by phone.

The group used Google Maps to provide their latitude and longitude, allowing Holyhead Coastguard to pinpoint their location.

With aerial support from a National Police Air Service aircraft, Rhyl lifeboat located the inflatable 2.7 miles north of Llanddulas, approximately four miles from the original launch point.

The three casualties were taken aboard the lifeboat and treated for cold.

They were brought ashore at Rhyl Lifeboat Station by 6:15pm and met by Coastguard officers, who offered safety advice.

Paul Archer-Jones, duty Coxswain, said: “This could have been quite a serious incident, the strong winds created some pretty difficult conditions for us to locate the casualty vessel. Luckily with the help of all the teams involved we were able to bring the casualties safely ashore.

“We always recommend if you are going to sea to take a means of calling for help, preferably a VHF radio, always wear a lifejacket or buoyancy aid, and check the weather forecast before heading out.”