Two shouts in one day for New Quay ILB
New Quay RNLI’s inshore lifeboat Audrey LJ was launched on service twice on Monday 3 September, firstly to assist a 42 foot catamaran in difficult weather conditions, and then to save a person from a submerged boat in heavy surf.
At 11.37am the inshore lifeboat was launched at the request of HM Coastguard to assist the catamaran Kuri Moana with two persons and a dog on board who had found themselves in difficulty as weather conditions deteriorated.
The D-class inshore lifeboat was launched with four crew members on board and the yacht was located approximatively one mile north of New Quay. Two RNLI crew members boarded the vessel to provide assistance and the yacht was escorted into New Quay harbour and safely moored alongside the harbour wall.
Marcus Turle, skipper of the catamaran said, “We were on passage from Maryport in Cumbria to the Thames. Having left Pwllheli, we were heading for Fishguard when the weather conditions worsened. The wind was gusting, the waves were getting high and we were forced to take down our sails.
“We needed to find a safe haven and were very thankful for assistance to come into New Quay harbour. We would like to thank the crew members of New Quay RNLI who risked their lives to help us.”
Shortly after the crew had stood down, the pagers were again sounding and the inshore lifeboat was launched for a second time at 3:19pm. A small boat with one person on board had suffered engine failure in New Quay harbour and was rapidly becoming submerged in the breaking waves as it drifted towards the rocks.
Roger Couch, New Quay RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager said, “We saw the situation unfold from the lifeboat station and the boat filled with water very quickly as waves broke over it. It was fortunate that we were able to launch the inshore lifeboat very quickly.”
Crew member Huw Williams added, “Conditions were quite challenging due to the north westerly wind, with breaking waves in the harbour. In situations like this our training pays off and we quickly recovered the casualty from the submerged boat.”
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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