Rhyl RNLI crew get saturday afternoon call to a boat with lost propeller

Rhyl's All-Weather lifeboat 'Lil Cunningham' was called out at 5:10pm on Saturday afternoon after UK Coastguard at Holyhead requested the launch to aid a boat that had reported it had lost its propeller off the coast of Rhyl.

After a short search with intermittant radio communications the vessel was found at anchor just off Abergele. A crew member was put aboard the casualty to help recover the anchor and set up the tow.

The boat was towed by the all-weather lifeboat to the safety of Rhyl harbour where a berth was arranged and local fisherman helped moor the casualty up.

The lifeboat then returned to the station and was ready for service by 7:30pm.

Paul Archer-Jones Deputy Coxswain said ‘Our team worked well to locate the casualty and bring them back to Rhyl harbour. The crew on the casualty boat had a VHF radio and GPS for navigation. We always recommend that you carry a means of calling for help when going out on the water, and if you can, use a base station VHF radio with an antenna to boost the distance it can be used’.

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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 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and, in a normal year, 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 142,700 lives.

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