Stricken Yacht Rescued By Holyhead RNLI

Pagers sounded at 8.18pm, with HM Coastguard citing a 6 ton, 30ft vessel, with two people on board, in difficulties in the traffic separation scheme (TSS) north of the Skerries. The yacht was en route to Holyhead from the Isle of Man, and there was concern that her location in the busy shipping lanes made her vulnerable to larger vessels. The lifeboat was requested to launch in order to assess the situation.

The volunteer crew launched the Severn-class lifeboat Christopher Pearce, and proceeded to the casualty position. On making contact with the vessel, it was established that the yacht’s crew had suffered issues with contaminated fuel, and had no engine power.

With only sails to rely on, and only a light breeze from the West, the craft was only making 1.5 knots against a large flooding tide.

On arrival at the scene, the duty coxswain and crew assessed the situation, and it was deemed the safest course of action was to put the vessel under tow, and head south out of the busy TSS, and to the nearest safe and suitable port, Holyhead.

A tow was successfully established, and both lifeboat and casualty vessel headed back to the safety of Holyhead harbour, arriving back just after 11.30pm, where the yacht was put onto a visitor’s mooring.

Duty coxswain Gareth Owens, said the two-man crew had done exactly the right thing in calling for help:

‘Both sailors on board had all the correct equipment, including lifejackets and radios, and appeared to be competent and experienced seafarers, who had unfortunately encountered a genuine issue with fuel contamination.’

He added:

‘As ever, the turnout of the volunteer crew was fantastic, and they executed the service with skill, professionalism and a smile on their faces. We’re very lucky to have them.’

The lifeboat headed back to her berth and was ready for further calls by midnight.

For any further information, please contact Vicki Owens, Holyhead Lifeboat Press Officer, on 07531 681409

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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