Rhyl RNLI volunteers called out to speedboat aground
The crew was paged at 5.25pm on Saturday 28 May to assist Rhyl coastguards trying to refloat an 18-foot speedboat which had gone aground at Talacre, about five miles east of the boathouse. There were two adults, one child and a dog on board.
The inshore lifeboat arrived first to assist local Rhyl coastguards already on site. The All-weather lifeboat was also launched, should a stronger pull be required to get the boat back in to deeper water. Two long lines were tied together to get a long tow from the casualty to the inshore boat, so there was sufficient water under the lifeboat to start the pull.
With the coastguard volunteers pushing, and the inshore boat pulling, the vessel was successfully returned to deeper water, where the All-weather lifeboat took over the tow back to Rhyl, from where the vessel had been launched. The occupants of the craft were returned by road to Rhyl in the coastguard vehicle, and the casualty vessel was returned to it's launching trailer on the beach at the lifeboat station. Had the vessel not been refloated, it could have drifted into the busy Mostyn channel and been a hazard to shipping, and would have meant the lifeboat re-launching at 3 am the next morning. The lifeboats were back at station at 8.25pm.
Coxswain Martin Jones says " This was a great effort between the local coastguards and my volunteer crew to bring about a successful re-floating and recovery of the casualty"
Pictures taken by Paul Frost MBE. Copyright RNLI.
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.
Learn more about the RNLI
For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, X, TikTok and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.
Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries
Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.