Fowey lifeboat rescues man on broken down yacht
On June 30 Fowey volunteer lifeboat crew were paged at 5.22pm. The coastguard requested that Fowey launch a lifeboat to rescue a lone yachtsman stranded in St Austell Bay.
The all-weather lifeboat was launched at 5.38pm with seven volunteer crew onboard. The weather was cloudy with good visibility and light north westerly winds of 7-10 knots when the lifeboat arrived on the scene about 3.5 kilometres south west of Fowey harbour at 5.50pm. They found a 32 foot sailing yacht, with one man on board who had got into difficulties. His main sail had jammed and he was having fuel problems, so he could not sail or motor and was stranded on his own and drifting at sea.
RNLI Coxswain Jonathan Pritchard requested that a couple of volunteer crew went aboard the yacht and they sorted out the sail and set up a tow line. The lifeboat then towed the yacht back into safety in Fowey harbour.
Coxswain Jonathan said: ‘It's important that people always carry spare fuel onboard for their journey and that they ensure engines are well maintained. An engine onboard a cruiser can be a vital safety back-up in these types of situations. Fortunately the man had a means of calling for help onboard and the situation ended well for him.’
This was the first shout onboard the all-weather lifeboat for new crew volunteers Paul Birkby and Harry Smith.
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
For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.
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.