Two shouts in 24 hours as Tobermory RNLI assists yacht with nine persons aboard
Tobermory RNLI’s volunteer crew went to the aid of a 43 foot yacht with nine people on board which was in difficulty off the Treshnish Isles on Tuesday 17th July 2018, the first of two shouts in 24 hours.
Tobermory RNLI’s Severn class lifeboat, Elizabeth Fairlie Ramsey, was launched shortly after 2.30pm and proceeded to the scene where the yacht’s crew had managed to anchor off Lunga. The yacht had electrical problems and this hampered communications although the crew had managed to alert Stornoway Coastguard using a satellite telephone.
On arriving at the scene, Tobermory’s volunteer crew took the yacht under tow and recovered her to the pontoons at Ulva Ferry. The lifeboat returned to station and was refuelled and made ready for service more than six hours later at 8.40pm.
The following afternoon, Tobermory RNLI’s volunteer crew launched again to go to the assistance of a yacht with engine failure off Sanna Bay on the north coast of the Ardnamurchan Peninsula, however, they were stood down by Stornoway Coastguard en route to the scene in the Sound of Mull as the yacht had restarted its engine and no longer required assistance.
Torbay RNLI Coxswain Mark Criddle OBE, who is covering this week at Tobermory lifeboat station, said: ‘We’re pleased that there was a good outcome to both of these shouts. The yacht off Lunga had a 2.5 metre draught so it was important that we acted quickly to tow her into deeper water. From a personal point of view, it is very interesting to work along a very different coastline to south Devon.’
Notes to editors
For further information, please contact Dr Sam Jones, Tobermory RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager on 07747601900 or Gemma Macdonald, Regional Media Officer for Scotland on 07826 900639.
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