Three Calls In Three Days For Holyhead RNLI

This time, it was the turn of the inshore lifeboat crew, who were paged by the Coastguard just before 10am to reports of two people on board a 16ft Seahog sailing boat, drifting towards rocks near Sandy Beach.

The crew launched quickly in the D-class Mary and Archie Hooper and headed to the location. The casualty vessel had set out from the Bolsach area of Newry beach, but had lost power near the end of the Tinto jetty, and had drifted very quickly out to sea, carried by the tides and force 3-4 winds.

On arriving at the location, the lifeboat crew carried out a welfare check on the two-man crew of the vessel, before approaching and establishing a tow to return both the craft and her occupants back safely to Bolsach.

As they arrived at their destination, Holyhead Coastguard again contacted the lifeboat crew to ask them to assess a lone craft, without any occupants, slightly further along the shore. The ILB headed to investigate, and found the empty vessel, a small rib, to be in a location which may cause it to drift out to sea with the tide, and therefore cause a hazard to local shipping. A decision was made to bring the rib back to a place of safety, and so towed it alongside back to the station slipway, where its owner, who was searching for his missing boat, was found.

Speaking of the morning’s activities, helm Dave Roberts said:

‘With regard to the first shout, after the loss of their engine power, the two occupants had drifted out with the tide very quickly. It may have seemed calm in the shelter of the harbour, but that can be very deceiving. Luckily they had a means of contacting the coastguard for assistance.’

He added:

‘We’d always strongly advise the wearing of suitable lifejackets at all times while on the water, as things can change in a split second. As well as a means of calling for help, it’s also important to be well-equipped with distress flares.’

The lifeboat crew were back at the station by 11.30am, where the lifeboat was washed and sanitised ready for any further calls.

For any further information, please contact Vicki Owens, Holyhead Lifeboat Press Officer, on 07531 681409, or email [email protected]

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.

Learn more about the RNLI

For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, X, TikTok and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.

Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.