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| Rowers spark 12-hour sea rescue | Rowers spark 12-hour sea rescue |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| 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 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. | 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. | 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. | 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. |
| Sea sickness | |
| The first radio distress call was received from a rower suffering from sea sickness 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. | |
| 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. | 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. |
| Despite swells of about 4.5ft (1.3m), some of the rowers returned to the mainland and others managed to reach the Isles of Scilly. | |
| The last boat was accounted for at 2300 BST. | 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. | 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. |
| No-one was available from Woodvale Challenge to comment. | No-one was available from Woodvale Challenge to comment. |