Port St Mary RNLI rescue five fishermen in early morning call out
Port St Mary RNLI has rescued five fishermen after their boat got into difficulty off the Isle of Man yesterday ((Thursday 8 February).
The volunteer crew were requested to launch their all-weather lifeboat at 4.10am following a report from Belfast Coastguard that a 27m fishing boat had suffered engine trouble 20 nautical miles west of the Chicken Rock.
Port St Mary RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat Gough Ritchie 2, launched with six volunteer crew onboard at 4.25am.
Weather conditions at the times were breezy with a Force 3-4 westerly wind and some drizzle.
The lifeboat reached the casualty vessel at approximately 6am where the crew first assessed that the fishermen were safe and well before working with them to establish a towline.
With a combination of towing and escorting, the lifeboat and the fishing vessel reached Kilkeel in Northern Ireland, at 4pm. The inshore lifeboat crew at Kilkeel RNLI assisted in bringing the vessel into the harbour.
Speaking following the call out, David Kneen, Port St Mary RNLI Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer said: ‘This was an early and long call out for our volunteers and for the fishermen they helped to bring to safety. We would like to thank our colleagues at Kilkeel RNLI who assisted in bringing the boat into the harbour and for their hospitality. This call out was a fine example of RNLI volunteers being willing to sacrifice the warmth and comfort of their beds for the cold and lengthy conditions at sea, to help bring others to safety.’
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