First shout for New Quay ILB...

First shout for the ILB for 2015 and for the station as well. We were tasked to a  upturned kayak  with a possibility of people in the water, I was at work in the middle of creating the worlds best Cappuccino, My pager goes off,I jumped a mile as my pager hadn't gone off in 7 months I almost forgotten what it sounds like..

I got the go ahead from the boss and ran to the station, along with my other crew mate Sarah Perry, we were met by our helm and station mechanic Ben Billingham. who had readied the ILB (Inshore Life Boat) we where warned that we would be facing a easterly wind force 5 and blowing 6 off the headland  that would be be whipping up the sea and we where going to get a pasting. But with an upturned kayak and with a risk of people in the water there was no time for changing minds. we kitted up and off we went. the sea was very deceptive and very calm in the harbor but as soon as we headed out around the headland the sea state deteriorated quickly we really where in for a pasting,
Sarah had to try and communicate with the coastguard whilst holding on. we took a wave over our starboard bow and sarah took a hit it the pod and lost her helmet visor, and I can tell you in this conditions we where in you really do want a visor. wave after wave in the face isn't the nicest! we took a brutal trip to Llangranog were we were informed by the Coastguard that the occupants of the kayak had made is safely back to shore and where out of danger. We where then requested by the Coastguard to find and recover the kayak we found it two miles off Ynys Loctin, we brought the kayak back onboard the ILB and brought it back ashore. All was well in the end everyone was safe and that makes it all worth it. Every call is a good call. even if we didn't pick the people out the water ourselves everyone was well..