Double Call For Holyhead RNLI
It was a busy night for Holyhead’s RNLI volunteer crew last night (Monday 6 August), with two call outs and a total of almost five hours out at sea.
The first call came at 9.45pm, to a lone 72-year old sailor, whose vessel was suffering from engine failure just off Holyhead Breakwater.
The man was having difficulty returning to his mooring within the harbour area, and so called for assistance.
The inshore lifeboat crew headed out to the man, and towed him safely to his mooring. The crew returned back to station at 11.30pm.
Pagers sounded again just before 1.30am, and both lifeboats were launched to assist shore search teams after reports of a male possibly in the sea just off the Sandy Beach area.
An extensive search of both land and sea was carried out, involving the all-weather and inshore lifeboats, search and rescue helicopter, coastguard teams and North Wales Police, until the man was located and confirmed as safe by police on land at approximately 4.30am. Both lifeboats then headed back to shore and were prepared for any further calls.
Coxswain at Holyhead, Tony Price, said the first man had done the correct thing in calling for help.
He added;
‘The second call out showed good teamwork between all those involved. It was a very busy night, but it is what we’re trained for, and we are always on call for any eventuality.’
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
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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.