Barrow Lifeboat Called to Assist Stricken Catamaran
Barrow Lifeboat Station’s volunteer crew launched their all-weather lifeboat this afternoon to go to the aid of a vessel that was reported to be taking on water.
The call to provide assistance came from the HM Coastguard base in Holyhead at 5-05 pm this afternoon. The information received was that the 8-metre catamaran, ‘Night Cat’, had made a distress call as it was taking on water. Its location was given as Bass Pool, just to the south of Piel Island.
The all-weather lifeboat, ‘Grace Dixon’, was launched at 5-12 pm under the command of Coxswain, Shaun Charnley, assisted by six crew. With the location of the incident not far from the lifeboat station, the ‘Grace Dixon’ was soon at the scene. Members of the lifeboat crew boarded the casualty vessel and established that an engine leak was responsible for the vessel taking on water. The crew was able to effect a repair and with the two people on board the ‘Night Cat’ reassured, they decided to remain at anchor for the night and undertake their planned passage to Fleetwood on Monday morning.
The lifeboat returned to the boathouse at 6-10 pm where it was washed down and made ready for the next launch.
The weather at the time of the incident was fine and clear. The wind was west, south-westerly, Force 4 and the high tide had passed at 11-25 am with a height of 8.4 metres.
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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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