Cullercoats Lifeboat rescues stricken vessel

Cullercoats Lifeboat was tasked to come to the assistance of a 28ft pleasure boat which had encountered mechanical failure half a mile off the Whitley Bay coastline. With the vessel drifting in fairly choppy waters it was imperative that it was secured and ready for towing at the earliest opportunity.

Within 10 minutes of launching the 4 volunteer crew aboard located the pleasure craft and quickly secured a stable tow rope providing steadiness so as to stop further drifting.

Once made safe and ensuring that the crew were unharmed the pleasure boat was placed undertow heading north toward the river Tyne and its mooring where repairs could be assessed.

After 90 minutes at sea the Lifeboat Hylton Burdon returned to station, refuelled and made ready for future service.

Frank Taylor, Operations Manager Cullercoats Lifeboat commented: 'The crew of the stricken vessel followed the correct procedure in contacting the Coastguard immediately they realised there was a problem. This allowed the volunteer lifeboat crew to act in time before the casualties drifted into any potential danger.'

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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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