Barrow All-weather lifeboat launches to assist Workington lifeboat recover yacht to safe waters
At 7.45pm on Wednesday 3 April 2012, the volunteer crew from Barrow’s RNLI station launched the all-weather lifeboat to assist their colleagues on the Workington lifeboat in an attempt to recover a broken down yacht to safety.
Earlier in the evening, the 41 foot yacht, with two crew aboard, had suffered a total engine failure in the Irish Sea approximately 11 miles off St Bees Head, some thirty miles north west of Barrow Station. The Workington lifeboat and a rescue helicopter had attended, but because of the layout of the boats rigging and the violent motion of the yacht in the Force 8 East North East gale and incoming tide, the helicopter was unable to land a man on deck. It was then that Liverpool Coastguard requested the help of the Barrow Station.
The six man crew from Barrow, under the command of Coxswain Shaun Charnley, launched their Tamar class boat, Grace Dixon within ten minutes of the request and battled their way through the turbulent seas over the 30 mile journey to the scene.
Workington lifeboat crew had managed to get the casualty under tow in extremely difficult circumstances and, when they were only ten minutes from the scene, the Barrow lifeboat was stood down by the Coastguard and returned to station.
The lifeboat was washed off, re-housed and made ready for the next emergency by 10.40pm.
Notes to editors
Barrow lifeboat station has been operating since 1864. To learn more about the lifeboat station go to www.rnli.org.uk/barrow
RNLI contacts
For more information please telephone John Falvey, RNLI Lifeboat Press Officer at Barrow on 07815691128, or Alison Levett, Media Relations Manager for North Division on 01642 750585, or mobile 07786668912, or online at alevett@rnli.org.uk or contact RNLI Public Relations on 01202 336789