Porthdinllaen and Holyhead RNLI lifeboats aid stricken fishing vessel
Porthdinllaen RNLI tamar class all-weather lifeboat was launched at Sunday lunchtime to assist a stricken fishing boat in Caernarfon Bay.
The 16 metre commercial fishing vessel with four crew members on board, was laying whelk fishing pots approximately 15 miles North West of Porthdinllaen on a bright and calm Sunday morning, when her fishing gear became entangled in her rudder and propeller rendering her motionless.
Porthdinllaen`s tamar class lifeboat, the John D Spicer was launched at 11:50am and was alongside the casualty within 55 minutes. As the fouled gear could not be freed, and the vessel and crew in no immediate danger, it was decided that the safest course of action would be to tow the craft to Holyhead.
Porthdinllaen volunteer crew successfully secured a tow to the vessel and the lifeboat began towing the craft to Holyhead an additional 18 miles away.
At a position three miles West of South Stack, the tow was successfully transferred to Holyhead lifeboat to take the vessel into the safety of Harbour at Holyhead. Porthdinllaen lifeboat returned to her station and was refuelled and ready for service by 3:55pm.
Ken Fitzpatrick, Lifeboat Operations Manager at Porthdinllaen said: 'The volunteer crews of Porthdinllaen and Holyhead lifeboats train regularly for such incidents and carried out a textbook operation'.
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.