Padstow fishing vessel lost near Polzeath
11th March 2025
Two fishermen were safely rescued after their vessel, Gloria Dawn PW 26, struck rocks and sank off the coast of Cornwall on the afternoon of Sunday, 2 March. The incident occurred at The Rumps, near Polzeath, prompting a swift response from emergency services.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) received a distress call at around 3.20pm reporting that a fishing boat had hit rocks and was taking on water. The Polzeath Coastguard Rescue Team and the Padstow RNLI lifeboat were immediately dispatched to the scene.
Upon arrival, the rescue teams found the Gloria Dawn partially submerged. Fortunately, both crew members had managed to reach the rocky shoreline and were uninjured. The Padstow RNLI crew retrieved the fishermen from the rocks and transported them safely back to Padstow harbour, where they were met by their relieved families.
Richard Pitman, Padstow RNLI coxswain, said: “We arrived on scene and were shocked to see the condition of the fishing vessel, but relieved to see the crew had managed to get themselves ashore onto the rocks and were uninjured. It was a team effort, and great to have Polzeath Coastguard crew on scene supporting.”
Authorities are advising the public to stay away from the area due to potential hazards. “There is a lot of debris going around the area as well, so take caution if you are in the area,” warned Tom Bolt of Falmouth Coastguard. He praised the Coastguard rescue team for their efforts, noting that this was one of 10 taskings they undertook that Sunday.
The MCA confirmed that no significant pollution has been reported, and that a local vessel has already recovered some debris.
Main image photo credit: Katie Childs
This story was taken from the latest issue of Fishing News. For more up-to-date and in-depth reports on the UK and Irish commercial fishing sector, subscribe to Fishing News here or buy the latest single issue for just £3.50 here.
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