Harbour jump boy drowns in front of holidaymakers

A MASSIVE air-sea rescue search off the West Somerset coast ended tragically in the early hours of Friday, August 3, when a teenager was found dead.
The youngster, thought to be aged about 16, apparently jumped into Minehead Harbour shortly after 7 pm the previous evening and was heard to shout for help before disappearing under the water.
He was found nearly seven hours later after an exhaustive search which involved coastgaurds, lifeboats, a helicopter, police divers, fire and rescue teams with thermal imaging cameras, and local boat owners.
Some reports said the boy, thought to be local to the area, may have been tombstoning – a craze where groups of mainly young people jump from high walls or cliffs into water.
The tragedy happened in front of hundreds of holidaymakers who were enjoying an otherwise pleasant sunny evening on the harbourside.
But one witness to the drama dismissed the suggestion as the boy was fully dressed and appeared to have been on his own, while nobody had been noticed jumping into the harbour earlier.
The youth was taken to Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton, and was pronounced dead on arrival.
A spokesman for the Coastguard Service in Swansea said: “We know he jumped into the harbour off the harbour wall.
“He swam for a short distance, then all of a sudden was crying for help and then apparently sank like a sack of potatoes.”
The West Somerset Coroner was being informed of the incident and an inquest will be held into the boy’s death.

• Our library photograph above shows a group of youngsters ‘tombstoning’ in Minehead Harbour some time ago. Photo submitted.

Rescue services launch massive search for missing harbour youth

A HUGE search was underway by rescue services on Thursday evening, August 2, for a youth who fell into the waters of Minehead Harbour.
The boy, believed to be in his early teens, was seen to fall from the harbour wall in front of shocked holidaymakers shortly after 7 pm.
He was heard to shout for help before disappearing under the water
Coastguards, lifeboats, a helicopter, police, firefighters, other emergency services personnel, and local boat owners totalling around 50 to 60 people were all involved in the search, which was continuing as darkness fell.
The town's harbourside was packed with visitors and local people enjoying a pleasant sunny evening when the tragedy occured.
It was not known if the youngster was local or a visitor to the town.
He was not thought to have been involved in any 'tombstoning', a practice which has been condemned by coastguards as dangerous - which involves jumping into deep water from harbour walls.
One local youth who witnessed the incident and who did not want to be named, said: "He was just sat there one minute and then we heard him shout 'help' and he was going into the water and went under."
Photo of Minehead Harbour submitted.

Maiden voyage for new form of traditional Bristol Channel boat

A NEW style of flatner has been launched by Watchet Boat Museum, only the second to be designed and built in a decade in what was the town’s Old Goods Shed.
The Somerset flatner was a traditional style of simple-constructed shallow draft boat which was once common in the Bristol Channel but which has since almost died out.
The new flatner boat is a brand new design using features found on various types of traditional flatners which can be seen in the museum
It was built single-handedly in the museum by curator John Nash and is designed to be inexpensive at around £250, using readily available materials, and easy for one person to construct.
Mr Nash said: “I did not do it this way to show off, just to prove that one person really can do it.
“I am most certainly not a boat designer, carpenter, or oarsman, so if I can do it - you can, too.”
He said the 12 ft 8 in boat was suitable for calm waters such as rivers, lakes, and ponds, and could take three people on board.
A successful maiden ‘voyage’ took place in Watchet’s harbour marina, where Mr Nash said the boat behaved ‘beautifully’.
The flatner was designed in consultation with the museum’s president, Commander G.I. Mayes, and was constructed from stock timber sizes with more than 90 per cent of the materials bought locally.
Mr Nash now intends to sell copies of the flatner plans and instructions for building one, to raise funds for the museum.
He said: “We cannot build the boat and sell it - EU regulations are very stringent - so, we hope to sell lots of the plans.
“If you follow the instructions, it really is simple to build and a joy to row.”
The new boat has been named after John Short, a renowed Watchet shantyman known as ‘Yankee Jack’, and the new class has been called ‘The Short Flatner’.
More details are available from John Nash by telephoning 01984 633117 or emailing jmn@wbm.org.uk, or by visiting http://www.wbm.org.uk/.
Watchet Boat Museum is run entirely by volunteers. Entry is free and it is open Easter to September, from 2 pm to 4 pm, but is closed on Mondays and Fridays.

• Our photograph shows John Nash preparing to launch the new flatner (top) and rowing on its maiden ‘voyage’ around the marina (below). Photos by Bruce Scott.