Early morning shout for St Bees RNLI
At 7.47am on 13 January St Bees RNLI Volunteers were paged by Belfast Coastguard to assist a 12 metre fishing vessel with mechanical issues, approximately 1.5 miles off St Bees North Head.
St Bees RNLI launched their B Class inshore lifeboat with four crew on board.
Within ten minutes of launching, the lifeboat crew located and made contact with the vessel who confirmed they had suffered a mechanical breakdown which had left them without steerage or power and were now held at anchor, with a crew of two on board.
After a short discussion with the crew, it was agreed that the fishing vessel would be taken under tow to the safety of Whitehaven Harbour. The lifeboat crew quickly and competently set up and established an astern tow to bring the vessel safely to harbour.
Once in the outer harbour, the fishing vessel was brought alongside the Lifeboat and an alongside tow was established to take it safely through the harbour gates and back to its berth.
The lifeboat then returned to the station where it was washed down and made ready for the next service.
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 142,700 lives.
Learn more about the RNLI
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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.