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Lytham St Annes RNLI bring two casualties to safety in heavy weather

Lifeboats News Release

Volunteer crew for the Lytham St Annes RNLI lifeboat brought two casualties onboard a yacht to safety in difficult conditions.

a lifeboat is seen with just the mast of a yacht appearing over a large wave

Lytham St Annes RNLI / Ben McGarry

Lytham St Annes Lifeboat approaches the yacht

At approximately 11.43am on Friday 29 October 2021, after a sudden and violent squall passed through an area of the Irish Sea, a 10m yacht called HM Coastguard for help as they were unable to maintain a course or heading in the poor weather. The Coastguard in turn requested the Lytham St Annes all-weather lifeboat to launch to assess the situation as details provided by the casualty at that time were sketchy.

The station’s all-weather relief lifeboat Reg, on duty while the Barbara Anne was away, was launched with Coxswain Andrew McHaffie in command and headed for the casualty’s position given as 8 nautical miles west of Lytham.

In rough sea conditions and at times heavy driving rain and reduced visibility, the lifeboat found the casualties about a mile and a half off shore off Blackpool near the South Shore outfall pipe. The yacht was being forced by wind and sea ever closer to the surf line which would have risked the loss of the vessel and crew. One of the yacht's crew had a bruised arm when they'd been thrown about by the violent motion of the vessel and could not leave the cabin. The other crew member was steering and tethered in the cockpit and unable to rig a tow line as a result.

Coxswain McHaffie realised the urgent need to get the yacht away from the rapidly approaching surf on the shore line so, despite the heavy seas running, skilfully placed the starboard shoulder of the lifeboat alongside the port side of the yacht. This was long enough for lifeboat Crew member, Andy Hall, to step between the two vessels to assist the casualties onboard.

Lifeboat crew member, Al Sleet, then threw a heaving line perfectly across to Andy Hall who quickly connected a tow line from the lifeboat and checked the casualties onboard were uninjured apart from the bruised arm. While this was ongoing the yacht had drifted a mile nearer the shore, so it was good timing and excellent seamanship from the lifeboat crew to have the vessel under tow at the first attempt.

With no safe mooring being available at Lytham in the poor conditions, the Lytham St Annes lifeboat towed the yacht northwards to the Wyre Estuary. Arriving at the Wyre, the lifeboat towed the yacht up to the Fleetwood Lifeboat pen where the Fleetwood RNLI inshore lifeboat had launched to assist. One of the Fleetwood volunteer crew members was placed on board the yacht which was then escorted by the inshore lifeboat to a safe mooring in the marina.

Meanwhile the Lytham St Annes lifeboat headed for home, arriving to be recovered on North Beach near the Thursby Home at 5.15pm. She was then returned inside her boathouse at 6.15pm after being washed off, cleaned, checked and refuelled in readiness for her next call out. The volunteer crew and shore crew were then free to set off home after a ling shout that had seen the crew out at sea for 5 hours.

In a phone call following the incident between Richard Freeman, Launch Authority at Lytham St Annes Lifeboat Station, the Holyhead Coastguard described it as an exemplary service and particularly praised the Coxswain for his superb seamanship exhibited in affecting the transfer of a volunteer crew member and that crew member’s bravery in the prevailing conditions.

Richard Freeman added: 'Had the Coxswain not assessed, planned and acted as swiftly as he did to establish a tow, the casualty vessel could have been lost along with its crew.'

Coxswain Andrew McHaffie later said: 'The yacht was being forced by wind and sea towards Blackpool Beach and if we had not managed to connect the tow they would have been in the surf line in about 10 minutes with a slim chance of survival in those conditions.'

A Letter of Thanks was subsequently written to the Lytham St Annes crew by Stuart Wallace, the RNLI Regional Lifesaving Lead (Wales, West and the Isle of Man).

The Lifeboat nears the yacht

Lytham St Annes RNLI / Ben McGarry

The Lytham St Annes Lifeboat approaches the yacht
A Lifeboat crew member throws a line across to a yacht

Lytham St Annes RNLI / Ben McGarry

Crew Al Sleet throws a heaving line to colleague Andy Hall on the yacht
a Lifeboat and Inshore Lifeboat attend to a yacht

Fleetwood RNLI / Rob Baines

The Lytham Lifeboat prepares to hand the yacht over to Fleetwood ILB
A Lifeboat Coxswain in lifejacket

David Forshaw / RNLI

Coxswain Andrew McHaffie
A Lifeboat crew member in his lifejacket

David Forshaw / RNLI

Andy Hall

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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