Holyhead RNLI Called Out During Open Day
Holyhead RNLI’s annual Open Day was interrupted today (Saturday August 3) when volunteers were called away to assist a father and son in difficulty on their personal watercraft (jet-ski).
The pair were a mile and a half from the Penrhos Nature Reserve beach, and became stranded when their craft stopped unexpectedly. A ‘pan pan’ distress signal was issued, which then alerted the coastguard.
A 12.30pm the volunteer lifeboat crew, who were all at Mackenzie Pier, Holyhead taking part on the station’s Open Day, quickly adorned their lifesaving kit and headed off in the inshore lifeboat, Mary and Archie Hooper, which was already positioned ready to attend a call.
A precise location for the casualties was established, and the lifeboat was with them within a few minutes. The man and his son, who were both dressed in correct attire and had all necessary equipment with them, were taken onto the lifeboat, and a member of the lifeboat crew mounted the jet ski and monitored it as it was towed back to shore in the Valley area. Both the man and his young son were unharmed.
The inshore crew then returned back to the Mackenzie pier, arriving back by approximately 1.25pm, and the volunteers then carried on assisting with the Open Day.
Coxswain at Holyhead Tony Price said:
‘The area of water where the casualties were is an excellent place for recreational water activities, and it was just bad luck they broke down when they did. Thanks to their excellent location, our crew were able to find them very quickly.’
He added:
‘This shows how, even on a day such as our Open Day, our brilliant volunteers are always ready to respond to help anyone in trouble around our coast. The man concerned was very well prepared for any eventuality, and his fast call for help meant he and his son were not stranded at sea for very long.’
For any further information, please contact Vicki Owens, Holyhead Lifeboat Press Officer, on 07531 681409, or email [email protected]
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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