Port St Mary RNLI launched to assist yacht after engine fire
Port St Mary RNLI lifeboat volunteer crew members were paged yesterday (Saturday 23rd January) at 5:26pm at the request of Belfast Coastguard, to assist a yacht which had suffered an engine fire and as a result lost steering and drifted onto rocks in Port Erin Bay.
Port Erin lifeboat had already been tasked to assist the 45ft yacht, but due to the size of the vessel, the UK Coastguard also requested the help of Port St Mary’s all-weather relief lifeboat RNLB Forward Birmingham.
The casualty vessel was already safely tied up on a mooring in Port Erin Bay when RNLB Forward Birmingham arrived on scene, under the command of Coxswain Michael Keggen. They transferred their crew doctor onto the vessel to assess the casualty on board, whilst a second crew member went aboard to assess the damage to the yacht.
With the vessel safely tied up and the casualty checked over, RNLB Forward Birmingham left the scene and returned to Port St Mary. She was ready for service again at 7:00pm.
Crew doctor Juan Corkill said: 'The RNLI like all the emergency services has had to adapt its procedures during the Covid pandemic. The crew for tonight’s shout were well drilled in wearing enhanced PPE, maintaining their commitment to each other’s safety and to saving lives at sea. Recent Covid restrictions have limited the opportunities to exercise but the Port St Mary lifeboat's experienced crew members were as always there to mentor the newer members such as myself.'
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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