Busy Palm Sunday for Beaumaris Lifeboat volunteers.
Following an exercise with Moelfre, Llandudno and Conwy Lifeboats by Puffin Island in the morning. The lifeboat volunteers had only just returned to the station when a call came re a dinghy near Caernarfon. After returning from this service a call requested the volunteers to launch to assist a yacht
At 12.09 pm the Beaumaris Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat Annette Mary Liddington with her volunteer crew, launched and proceeded to investigate a report of an empty rowing boat adrift near Caernarfon. Once on scene the lifeboat crew ascertained that the boat had not been occupied, so the craft was taken ashore and beached above the high-water mark. Returning to Beaumaris Lifeboat Station at 1.26 pm to be cleaned and refuelled.
However, at 2.37 pm a further request was received relating to a yacht that appeared to have slipped her moorings and was adrift. This was creating a navigation hazard and the danger that her crew might try to return to the yacht in conditions that were unsuitable for a small rowing boat.
As no other vessel was able to assist an assessment was made by the helm as to the best course of action. It was decided for safety reasons, such as the building strength of the tidal currents and that the yacht was unmanned so was unable to navigate to a place of safety, that the boat should be towed to the nearest safe location. The lifeboat crew towed and berthed the craft alongside Beaumaris Pier.
Once this had been completed the lifeboat was released by HM Coastguard to return to her station, returning at 4.01 pm to be refuelled and cleaned. Once this had been completed the crew left the station.
A RNLI spokesman said: ‘The people ashore did the correct thing in reporting these vessels to the Coastguard’.
Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.
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