Dunbar Lifeboat Volunteers Called to Rescue Crew Member
Dunbar’s lifeboat volunteers came to the rescue of one of their own crew members on Tuesday when his fishing boat ran into trouble.
UK Coastguard paged for the lifeboat at 6.30pm after the fishing vessel Spitfire – owned by Robert Davies and son Rowan, a Dunbar volunteer – became tail tied on its own net.
Dunbar’s all-weather lifeboat (ALB) launched from its mooring at Torness Power Station at 6.57pm and reached the stricken Spitfire five miles north of the town 20 minutes later.
A tow was quickly set up but because of the state of tide it was deemed too risky to return to the harbour. That meant a five-hour wait until 1am when it was deemed safe enough to attempt an approach.
In 20mph wind and some swell, the crew of the ALB John Neville Taylor shortened the tow line and guided the Spitfire to a safe berth at around 1.20am.
The ALB then returned to Torness where by 2.45am it was refuelled and ready for service.
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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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