Dunbar Crew Rescue Boat with Engine Failure from Rocks
Dunbar RNLI lifeboat volunteers had to act fast to stop a motorboat with engine failure drifting onto rocks near Torness on Tuesday (July 4).
The two-man crew of the Sandra cruiser raised the alarm at 3.50pm after losing power while on route from Newhaven to Eyemouth. Less than four minutes later, the all weather lifeboat (ALB) launched from Dunbar Harbour, following the request from UK Coastguard.
The lifeboat crew arrived on scene to see the motorboat drifting dangerously close to rocks not far from Whitesands beach. In choppy sea conditions, the crew managed to throw a line to the vessel and towed it to deeper water where a proper tow could be established.
By 5pm both boats were in Dunbar Harbour, where the Sandra was taken to a safe berth.
Dunbar coxswain Gary Fairbairn said it was lucky the ALB John Neville Taylor had been temporarily moored in the harbour, instead of at its permanent mooring at Torness.
He explained: “It might have been a different outcome if we’d had to go to Torness and taken longer to launch. As it was we were able to reach them quickly and pull them out of harm’s way.”
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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