Oban RNLI watch and wait for grounded yacht

UK Coastguard tasked Oban Lifeboat to go to the assistance of a yacht that had ran aground at the North end of Lismore yesterday (Thursday 18 August).

After launching on service at 3.45pm the crew reached the scene to discover that the yacht was hard aground and listing heavily to Starboard.

Realising that any attempt to tow the vessel off the rocks would have resulted in damage to the craft, it was decided that the best course of action was to wait with the vessel for the tide to turn and for the yacht to float free on the rising tide.

With the priority to make sure that the yacht was still seaworthy, Coxswain at Oban RNLI Ally Cerexhe said: 'We launched our daughter craft with two crew on board to have a good check around the grounded yacht to determine that there were no signs of damage to its hull, prop or rudder, and to investigate the best direction to take the yacht off from the rocks once it started to float.

'After a wait of over three hours, at around 7.30pm the yacht started to float free and was escorted by the Oban RNLI lifeboat to a mooring at Linnhe Marine. Once safely secured to a mooring, we were able to confirm there was no ingress of water to the casualty vessel.'

The lifeboat was stood down, returning to its base where all the equipment was washed down and restowed, the boat was fuelled up and made ready for service again at 9.15pm.

ENDS

RNLI Media Contacts

For further information, please contact:

John Macgill, Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer for Oban RNLI on 07711 548672 or email [email protected]

Natasha Bennett, Regional Media Officer (Scotland), on 07826 900639 or [email protected]

Martin Macnamara, Regional Media Manager (Scotland), on 07920 365929 or [email protected]

RNLI Press Office 01202 336789 or [email protected]

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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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