Holyhead Lifeboat Crew Rescue Stricken Vessel During Storm Hector
Holyhead RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew were roused from their beds in the early hours of this morning, at the height of Storm Hector's gales, to attend a vessel in distress
Crew pagers sounded at 12.30am today (Thursday 14 June), and the all-weather lifeboat
Christopher Pearce was launched shortly afterwards. Reports from the UK Coastguard were that an 18 metre, 60 tonne yacht with two people on board, was suffering mechanical failure, a mile and a half west of the Skerries lighthouse, which lies approximately two miles from Carmel Head, Anglesey.
On arriving at the scene, the lifeboat crew found the vessel had lost all power, and was struggling to cope with the weather conditions, including southerly gale force winds and spring tides.
The lifeboat undertook a tow of the stricken yacht, which was returning from the Isle of Man TT races back to her mooring at Holyhead. The vessels arrived back at 4.30am, when the lifeboat returned to her berth at the inner harbour and was made ready for any further service.
Speaking on behalf of Holyhead RNLI, press officer Vicki Owens said:
‘The weather was unseasonably rough, but our dedicated crew left their beds to help someone in trouble.’
She added,
‘It’s always important that anyone in difficulty out at sea contacts the coastguard immediately by radio or on 999. We’d also remind people that it’s crucial to monitor local weather forecasts and take extra care in adverse conditions.’
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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 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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