Night rescue of fishing vessel for Scarborough RNLI
Scarborough RNLI went to the rescue when a steering failure crippled a fishing boat in the middle of the night.
The vessel was 10 nautical miles north-east of Scarborough, on a calm sea.
The all-weather Shannon lifeboat launched shortly before 3am on Friday 10 April, reaching the fishing boat soon afterwards. The lifeboat deployed a drogue, a tapered tube of heavy-duty material, to keep the rescued vessel straight while under tow.
The 17m fishing boat was towed back to the south bay, where the lifeboat moved alongside to push it against the outer wall of the West Pier. This enabled a rudder inspection and possible repair at low tide. The fishing vessel returned to the harbour later.
On a high spring tide, the lifeboat was temporarily berthed alongside another vessel moored on the north wharf, to be rehoused at low tide.
The crew on the lifeboat were coxswain Lee Marton, mechanic Paul Huggins and crew members Jason Hedges, John Huntley, Erik Woolcott and Adam Sheader. The shore crew were Simon Loveland, Tabz Nixon, John Wallis, Phil Chittenden and Eve Lee. All but one are volunteers with the charity.
Lifeboat operations manager Andy Volans said: 'As ever, the ongoing Covid-19 situation does not affect the station’s readiness and responsiveness to calls for help when required.
* For details, ring Scarborough RNLI press officer Dave Barry on 07890 322992
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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