Paddleboarder who 'nearly drowned' praises RNLI

A man stands on a pebble beach beside a large stand-up paddleboard, holding a paddle, with a body of water stretching out behind him. In the background, a sailing boat is anchored near the shoreline, with low hills visible across the water.Rich Pearson

Rich Pearson said the group had paddled the route many times before

Jonathan Morris
South West

A paddleboarder whose family had to be rescued on Cornwall's Helford River has warned others to "respect the water" after a sunny day out turned into one of the most frightening experiences of his life.

Rich Pearson, from Falmouth, was among a group of eight who got into difficulty on Sunday after being caught by strong easterly winds returning from the Shipwrights Arms pub on the western side of the river.

His wife Lucy and their three-year-old daughter Bea were rescued after being blown downstream, while Pearson and others managed to swim ashore.

Pearson said "For about 15 minutes, it probably was close to the most scared I've been in my life" and he thanked the "heroes at the RNLI".

The image shows an aerial view of the Helford River estuary winding through the Cornish countryside, with wooded shorelines, patchwork fields and small settlements on either side. Dozens of boats can be seen moored across the water, while a motorboat leaves a visible wake as it travels along the river.

The group had been returning from the Shipwright Arms pub on the western side of the Helford River

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Pearson explained that the group had paddled the route many times before and had experience on the water, but said they had made "a mistake - quite a big one".

He said he had wrongly assumed conditions on the river would offer more shelter from the wind, and a series of "very basic assumptions" and complacency on a familiar route had led to the situation.

Lucy and Bea, who were wearing buoyancy aids and a leash, were helped by a couple on a nearby boat after they were blown off course. A man on shore, Adrian Whitehead, spotted them struggling and called 999, prompting a response from HM Coastguard and the RNLI.

Pearson said: "They were saved by the very important kindness of strangers."

The image shows a woman wearing a wetsuit, sunglasses and a beanie hat sitting on a stand-up paddleboard while holding a paddle on very calm, dark water. The water reflects the clouds overhead, creating a mirror-like effect around the paddleboard.Rich Pearson

Lucy Pearson and daughter Bea were blown off course

In a post on social media after the rescue, Pearson thanked the RNLI and those who came to the family's aid, writing: "The phrase 'complacency kills' has never felt so real."

Falmouth Coastguard watch manager Eddie Robinson said several paddleboarders had run into trouble during the recent spell of easterly winds because conditions were behaving differently from what many people expected.

He urged people heading onto the water to carefully consider weather conditions, adding that strong winds could quickly carry paddleboarders much further from shore than anticipated.

Despite the ordeal, Pearson said he hoped others would learn from his experience: "We're humans and we're imperfect and we made a mistake and we hold up our hands and say it.

"If there's anything that we can use of this experience that other people can learn from, that's the important thing."

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