Fishing boat rescued after tow rope parts

The 40 foot catamaran Enigma was towing a small fishing boat Pisces from Peel harbour, Isle of Man over to Workington when the tow rope parted about 18 miles off the Cumbrian coast in the very early hours of Sunday morning 20 November. The lone skipper of the Enigma could not locate the small fishing boat in the dark and alerted the Coastguard who in turn alerted Workington and Ramsay RNLI Lifeboat stations.

The Workington RNLI Tyne class all-weather lifeboat Sir James Fisher and the Ramsay Mersey Class lifeboat Ann & James Ritchie were launched around 5.30am and located both fishing vessels after a brief search. Two volunteer Workington lifeboatmen were put aboard the small fishing boat Pisces which was taken on tow by the Workington lifeboat. Pisces started taking on water during the tow back to Workington and a pump had to be transferred from the lifeboat to keep the water level down. A volunteer Workington crew member assisted the skipper of the Enigma to continue to safety in Workington.

Sir John Fisher was back on station and ready for service by 11am some 6 ½ hours after being launched.

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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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