Training exercise and a shout for Holyhead RNLI
Holyhead RNLI’s volunteer crew had a busy evening yesterday (Wednesday 18 June) with a training exercise and then a shout.
The D-class inshore lifeboat Mary and Archie Hooper was part of a regular training session, along with the all-weather lifeboat Frederick Storey Cockburn. The exercise finished at 8.30pm – but the crew had not long returned home, when pagers sounded at 10pm, requesting the launch of the ILB to assist a broken down fishing boat within Holyhead harbour.
The 18ft vessel, with two people on board, had suffered engine problems, and due to no other vessels in the area able to assist, the lifeboat was asked to help the boat and her occupants, to prevent them causing an obstruction to other vessels or getting into any further difficulty
Four volunteers in the ILB launched within a few minutes, assisted by shore crew, and due to the casualty vessel’s close proximity to the station, they were on scene very soon after launch.
With a lifeboat crew member boarding the casualty vessel, a tow was quickly established, and the fishing boat was brought safely back to the slipway at Holyhead’s Newry Beach. Conditions were calm but a sea fret and nightfall nearby meant the casualty vessel could have got in to further trouble had she been left unassisted.
Helm Sion Owens said:
‘Both sailors were found to be safe and well, and were well-equipped. With failing light, they did the correct thing in calling for assistance, and we were able to reach the scene quickly and bring both sailors and their vessel to safety.’
Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI is the charity that 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 146,700 lives.
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