Rowers spark 12-hour sea rescue

Three lifeboats and a helicopter were involved in the 12-hour sea rescue

A training session for participants of a rowing competition led to a 12-hour rescue operation off the coast of Cornwall, coastguards have revealed.

A number of rowers training for the Woodvale Challenge, a series of ocean rowing races, got into difficulty on Saturday during a 30-mile (48km) row.

Coastguards said the rowers, some of whom were novices, set off from Newlyn to the Isles of Scilly in the morning.

However, they were ill-prepared for the dangerous conditions, coastguards said.

They added that the rowers had been advised not to enter the water by locals but had ignored the advice and that coastguards had not been informed that the training session was going ahead.

Distress call

The first radio distress call was received from a rower suffering from seasickness at 1030 BST.

The coastguards were able to direct Sennen Cove lifeboat to the rower, who was found holed up in the cabin of his boat.

We only found out there were eight boats when we brought the first one in and the rower told us there were another seven out Andy Cattrell Falmouth Coastguard

Lifeboats, a rescue helicopter from RNAS Culdrose and a number of merchant vessels ended up scouring the area for 12 hours to try to account for the eight boats which took part in the training session in swells of about 4.5ft (1.3m).

Two ended up being helped by Sennen Cove lifeboat, four were towed into St Mary's - one of the Isles of Scilly - and another two were located and escorted into St Mary's.

The last boat was accounted for at 2300 BST.

Coastguards from Falmouth now plan to talk to the organisers of the Woodvale Challenge to give them advice for rowers taking part in future training sessions.

Falmouth watch manager Andy Cattrell said: "We had three lifeboats and a helicopter searching for the boats.

Tidal flow

"It would have been good to know how many boats were out there but we only found out there were eight boats when we brought the first one in and the rower, who was suffering from severe sea sickness, told us there were another seven out there.

"Woodvale had a safety boat out there with the rowers but they had problems with their radio and lost track of the other rowers when they were helping us with the first boat.

"We normally have a good relationship with Woodvale and speak to them quite a bit but on this occasion we didn't know that the boats were out.

"The sea was rough and between Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly the tidal flow can run quite quickly and as these rowing boats don't have the power to overcome it, they can end up rapidly being taken off course."

No-one from Woodvale Challenge was available to comment.