A pink flare was fired from the boat to reveal the gender of the baby, but was mistaken for a distress signal, sparking a huge emergency response – with the UK Coastguard scrambling to the scene
A gender reveal boat party took an unexpected turn when a pink flare was mistaken for a distress signal, sparking a huge emergency response by nearby rescue teams.
Coastguard volunteers raced to the boat just off the Fish Quay in North Shields, North Tyneside, at around 6:40pm on Saturday. The vessel appeared to have been out of control, going round in circles before letting off what witnesses called a red smoke flare – then returning upriver. The coastguard received calls raising fears over the safety of those on board the boat, prompting them to dispatch six members from Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade. When the team arrived, they soon realised the red flare was actually pink, and that a couple were on board the boat celebrating the gender of their unborn baby.
The skipper of the boat was apologetic for the confusion. A TVLB spokesperson said: “The team was called to check on the welfare of a crew of a vessel that had been thought to be out of control near to the mouth of the Tyne.
“After deploying what appeared to be a red smoke flare, the boat then returned upriver. The coastguard received calls raising concern for the safety of the crew, with the Brigade dispatched to check everyone was ok.
“On scene, the team found that the ‘red’ flare had in fact been ‘pink’ and the crew had been helping a couple reveal the gender of their baby!
“The skipper of the boat was very apologetic and ultimately we’re grateful everyone was safe and well. We send our best wishes to the parents to be.” They added: “Deploying flares in a coastal environment will always raise concerns that an emergency is taking place.
“We’d recommend avoiding using flares near the coast in any other circumstances, but if you intend to, please contact Humber Coastguard in advance via either 01262 672317 or VHF Channel 16. “
In November 2023, a couple were left baffled when they decided to cut into a coloured cake to find out the gender of their first baby, which did not go to plan.
Alyssa and Christian, from Missouri, US, documented what was meant to be a special moment on TikTok, with the clip racking up more than 30 million views.
As they cut into the special cake with wine glasses, the pair were visibly bewildered to discover there was no colour inside. While they managed to keep it together on film, Alyssa was left in tears by the major let-down and contacted the bakery to explain what had happened.
Thankfully, the shop quickly amended the mistake and sent the expecting parents a second cake for free.