Barrow RNLI Lifeboat called to assist small pleasure boat south of Walney Island

The call for assistance came from HM Coastguard at Holyhead at 3-45pm. The information received was that a small pleasure boat, with three people on board, had broken down at a position approximately one and a quarter miles south of Walney Island. The crew was paged and the all-weather lifeboat, ‘Grace Dixon’, was launched at 4-01pm under the command of Coxswain, Jonny Long, assisted by five crew members.

The lifeboat headed towards the scene and was alongside the pleasure boat at 4-18pm. The casualty vessel was taken under tow by the lifeboat and returned safely to a mooring just off Roa Island. The three people on board the casualty vessel were not injured.

With the casualty vessel and its crew safe, the ‘Grace Dixon’ returned to the lifeboat station at 5-20pm where it was made ready for the next launch.

The wind at the time of the incident was easterly, Force 2, and the high tide had been at 1-09pm with a height of 9.6 metres.

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.

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