Lowestoft RNLI lifeboat responds to Mayday call from stranded angling boat
A Mayday call just before 11am today (20 July 2016) from the crew of a small fishing boat, adrift near rocks, brought Lowestoft RNLI lifeboat to their aid.
The stranded 21 foot angling boat had suffered engine failure whilst a third of a mile offshore and near to the coast protection breakwater at Lowestoft Ness.
Fearing that they might be swept onto the rocks the anglers had sent out a call for help that resulted in the town’s volunteer lifeboat crew being alerted.
Lowestoft Lifeboat Coxswain John Fox said “as the fishing boat was not far away we reached her in minutes. The sea was quite choppy and there was a force four southerly breeze blowing. Their vessel was pitching and tossing in the waves when we arrived. Although not in immediate danger, if they had not had help when they did the situation could have developed very quickly into something more serious.”
With a tow line connected to their craft the stranded anglers were soon towed back to the safety of the harbour and moored in the Yacht Basin
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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