Moelfre RNLI Volunteers Assist Yacht Pinned to Seabed.
Moelfres all-weather lifeboat launched at 2:45pm this afternoon at the request of Holyhead Coastguard to reports of a 31ft yacht stuck fast to the seabed by a rope around its propeller at Porth Wen on the north coast of Anglesey
Moelfre lifeboat Kiwi launched with a volunteer crew of 7 and was on scene within 25 minutes. The Y-boat was deployed with two RNLI crew members on board to approach and assess the casualty vessel. Contact was quickly established with the Crew of the yacht, and they said that they were considering putting someone into the water to attempt to cut the obstruction. However, with the risk of injury that this posed it was decided to connect a tow and take the vessel to a safe location to assess.
Once a tow was connected, the vessel was carefully towed away from the confines of the rocky shore into deeper water, once underway the skipper advised that he was happy to be towed to the shallows of the beach at Cemaes Bay and dry out with the tide to be able to clear the obstruction and check for any damage.
The yacht was taken alongside the ALB once in Cemaes Bay the casualty vessel anchor was deployed in the shallow waters of the beach. Once the vessel was secure ALB returned to station at Moelfre to be washed down and made ready for her next call to service.
Lifeboat coxswain Alan Owen said:
“This was a routine call for our volunteer crew, made difficult by not being able to safely access the obstruction around the yacht propeller. I would recommend that if someone onboard a vessel find themselves in a similar situation, stay in the boat and don’t attempt to go into the water to free the obstruction. On this occasion the owner did the right thing and called for help.
Now local restrictions have eased and people can once again come and enjoy our beautiful coastline and waters, please stay safe and if you get into difficulties please stay with your vessel and call your local coastguard for assistance at the earliest opportunity”
For further information, please contact Phil Williams, Moelfre Lifeboat Press Officer, on 07773 979910
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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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