Early wake up call followed by a late night for the volunteer crew.
At 10:50pm as most of the volunteer crew had settled into their beds for the night, a good night’s sleep was disturbed for the second time in the space of three days when Tobermory RNLI was tasked to go to the aid of a commercial vessel in difficulty.
The skipper of an 80 tonne workboat just to the east of the lighthouse at Rubha nan Gall in the Sound of Mull, alerted Stornoway Coastguard that the vessel had lost steering and was in need of assistance.
Within 10 minutes of the pagers going off the volunteer crew had left their beds and their families, were dressed in their yellows and the lifeboat was underway on route to assist the casualty vessel safely into Tobermory harbour. This excellent level of response by the volunteer crew meant that some were stood down shortly after arrival at the Lifeboat station.
With favourable conditions it was decided that the vessel would be taken under tow and secured alongside at the pontoons in Tobermory harbour. This was no easy task whilst towing an 80 tonne vessel through a chicane of small vessels and narrow passages between mooring buoys.
With the skipper of the casualty vessel happy, Tobermory RNLI lifeboat and her volunteer crew returned to their berth and the lifeboat was again made ready for service. Shortly after 12:20am the volunteer crew made their way home and returned to the beds they had left just a short time before.
Tobermory RNLI’s Lifeboat Operations Manager, Dr Sam Jones said: ‘This was a text book job and the Coxswain and crew demonstrated considerable skill in manoeuvring the larger vessel through the harbour and safely alongside the pontoons. Although only seven crew were required, thirteen of our volunteers arrived at the station within just a few minutes of their pagers going off, once again demonstrating their willingness to help anyone in difficulty at sea.’
Crew: David McHaffie (Coxswain), Creon Carmichael (Mechanic), Tony Spillane, Iain Malcolm, Alec Brown, Iain MacKenzie, Alexander Anderson.
RNLI media contacts:
Michael Stirling, Tobermory Lifeboat Press Officer on 07921 515686, [email protected] or [email protected]
Or Gemma McDonald, RNLI Press Officer for Scotland, 01738 642956, 07826 900639, [email protected]
Or contact RNLI Public Relations on 01202 336789.
RNLI onlineFor more information on the RNLI please visit www.rnli.org.uk. News releases and other media resources, including RSS feeds, downloadable photos and video, are available at the RNLI Press Centre www.rnli.org.uk/pressKey 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 over 230 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and has more than 100 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK. 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 137,000 lives. The RNLI is a charity registered in England, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland.
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.