Llandudno Lifeboats respond to red flare distress alerts over Rhos on Sea
Both Llandudno Lifeboats were in action early on Friday evening following reports of red flares fired from a small speedboat with one person on board a quarter of a mile off Rhos on Sea breakwater in choppy conditions.
At 6.10pm an ‘ILB Immediate launch’ request was received from Holyhead Coast Guard following multiple 999 calls from members of public who had sighted distress flares from a small speedboat approximately a quarter of a mile north east of Rhos on Sea breakwater.
The speedboat had lost power, the sole occupant’s lifejacket had been lost overboard and the radio battery was flat. In fresh and choppy sea conditions Llandudno’s inshore lifeboat Dr Barbara Saunderson was launched within minutes of the alarm being raised, arriving at the scene just over ten minutes later where the speedboat had managed to anchor. Llandudno’s all-weather lifeboat William F Yates, already on ‘standby’, was also launched to support the rescue. The casualty vessel and its occupant were brought ashore and handed over to the Coastguard Rescue Team at the Rhos on Sea slipway. Llandudno’s Duty Launching Authority commented “This was a short service to a person on a small craft in a vulnerable situation which demonstrated great teamwork by lifeboat crew and shore crew all of whom train very hard for such situations”.
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