FOWEY lifeboats have responded to a number of incidents as the summer holidays have progressed.

The all-weather lifeboat was launched during Fowey Regatta Week when two boats were in collision during a race.

A mayday was put out for the lifeboat after a crew member of one of the boats was seriously injured. The person was subsequently taken to hospital and underwent surgery.

The all-weather lifeboat was called out again a few days later to locate and assist a sailing vessel taking on water five miles south of Fowey Harbour.

Once on the scene, lifeboat crew member Christian “Branch” Philp was transferred to the vessel to assess the situation.

The boat had been sailing into moderate seas and taking water over the bow as she sailed towards Falmouth. Once the course was altered towards Fowey and the sea came further onto the beam, her pumps were able to keep up with the water in her bilges. The lifeboat then escorted the vessel to safety in Fowey.

A third call-out saw the all-weather lifeboat recovering an empty 50ft motorboat that had broken from its mooring and was hitting other boats in Fowey Harbour at night.

In a separate incident, the Fowey D-class lifeboat was launched to assist a broken down boat with people on board around one-and-a-half nautical miles south-east of Lantic Bay, which is near Polruan.

A Fowey RNLI spokesperson said: “The lifeboat crew located the vessel south east of the initial location. Four of the people on board were transferred to the inshore lifeboat for safety.

“One of the lifeboat crew members went on board the boat and sorted out a faulty kill switch. The boat was escorted back into Fowey and the people on the lifeboat were dropped off near their accommodation as they were cold. The boat with its owner was returned to a pontoon.

“Safety advice was given to the family as only a young child was wearing a buoyancy aid and the other members of the family had no lifejackets. The only safety device they were carrying was a mobile phone.”