Porthdinllaen RNLI rescue two sailors and yacht in Irish Sea Rescue
Porthdinllaen RNLI all-weather lifeboat were tasked yesterday afternoon (Thursday) at the request of UK Coastguard to launch immediately at 4:25PM to assist a ketch in difficulties in the Irish Sea.
The 38 foot yacht, with two persons on board had earlier issued a Mayday distress call. The vessel was taking in water and in danger of sinking and at a position 35 miles west of Porthdinllaen in moderate sea conditions with force 4/5 winds. The nearby Coastguard rescue helicopter from Dinas Dinlle along with merchant vessel 'Arklow Field' were also responding to the distress signal and making headway towards its known position.
After arriving on scene, It’s was decided to put a Porthdinllaen volunteer crew member on board the Ketch to assess the situation and the water ingress. After securing a tow line and ensuring that the ingress of water was under control, the lifeboat began the tow of the ketch back towards Holyhead at 6:35pm. With the lifeboat and tow making steady progress towards Holyhead, the RNLI lifeboat at Holyhead was tasked to take the tow over from Porthdinllaen with the Porthdinllaen lifeboat returning to station, refuelled and ready for service by 11:00pm.
Ken Fitzpatrick, Lifeboat Operations Manager at Porthdinllaen said: 'The Ketch had encountered problems with its rigging earlier and had switched over to engine power. As soon as the craft started taking in water, due to the efforts of all involved in the rescue operation, the craft was saved'.
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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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