Porthdinllaen RNLI Lifeboat rescue drifting yacht
Porthdinllaen RNLI All Weather Lifeboat and her Volunteer crew were launched on Friday night to the aid of a drifting yacht in Caernarfon Bay.
UK Coastguard at Holyhead had received a call from the 35 foot yacht that required assistance as they had lost engine power and were unable to use their sails.
The yacht with two persons on board and on passage from Holyhead to the Brixham, were unable to confirm their position but suspected that they were near Bardsey Sound. The station`s Tamar Class lifeboat, the 'John D Spicer' launched down the slipway at Porthdinllaen at 10:35Pm and after a brief search located the yacht approximately two miles south west of Maen Mellt.
After securing a tow line to the yacht, it was decided that the safest option for the yacht and her crew, were to tow the vessel to Pwllheli Marina.
Pwllheli RNLI All weather Lifeboat who had launched to assist in the rescue, took over the tow of the yacht at a position near Trwyn Rhiw and continued the tow to Pwllheli Marina.
Porthdinllaen Lifeboat returned to her Station and were refuelled and ready for service by 2:45 AM.
Keneth Fitzpatrick, Launch Operations Manager at Porthdinllaen added 'We always advice that any passage to be undertaken is planned in advance and that the Coastguard service are aware of your intentions, and receive regular updates of you position, this will aid our crews to locate you should assistance be needed'
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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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