Bembridge RNLI assists 80 year old skipper following Pan Pan call
Following a pan pan urgency call, Bembridge RNLI's all-weather Tamar class lifeboat 'Alfred Albert Williams' was launched at around 3.30pm on Tuesday (10 October) to locate and assist a 7m Virgo Voyager sailing yacht with one person on board.
The yacht's engine was not working and the vessel was in difficulty 5nm south of St Catherine's Point, having set out the previous day from Cherbourg on route for Christchurch.
Having reached the yacht at 4.30pm and having ascertained that the owner was an elderly man and that the engine was not going to be repairable, a member of the lifeboat crew was transferred to the yacht using the inflatable Y boat to help secure the tow.
Sea and tidal conditions were such that initially the tow to Portsmouth was very slow with the Alfred Albert Williams averaging only 3.5 knots until past Ventnor when she was able to increase to 5.5 knots. Having berthed the yacht safely in Haslar Marina at 10.20pm, the Alfred Albert Williams returned to Bembridge and was recovered by 11.15pm.
Coxswain Steve Simmonds said: 'it was pretty rough off St Catherine's Point and the tide was against us so the first hour of the tow was very slow. We were delighted that we were able to get the elderly skipper and what turned out to be his 'home' safely to Portsmouth.'
Note to Editors: A pan pan call signifies there is an urgency on board a boat or ship but there is no immediate danger to anyone's life or the vessel itself, unlike a mayday call which indicates imminent danger.
RNLI media contacts
· Mike Samuelson, Bembridge RNLI volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer, on 07785 593254 or [email protected]
· Paul Dunt, RNLI Press Officer London/East/South East) on 0207 6207416, 07786 668825 [email protected]
· For enquiries outside normal business hours, contact the RNLI duty press officer on 01202 336789
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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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