Upon arrival on scene a short time later it was ascertained that the two people on board had already made their way to shore and were in the care of the Mullion Coastguard Rescue Team. Unfortunately the yacht had suffered some significant damage and was taking on water. Though thankfully following its grounding the yacht had become afloat again and appeared to be in no immediate danger of sinking. Lifeboat crew members went aboard with a salvage pump to pump out the ingress of water.
Two lifeboat crew members stayed aboard the yacht whilst a decision was taken by the Coxswain as to whether it was seaworthy enough to tow to the nearest port. Under the command of Second Coxswain Darren Thirlaway, the decision was taken to attach a tow rope and to take the yacht in to Newlyn harbour. In the meantime the lifeboat’s smaller Y-boat collected the yachts French owners from the shore and they very gratefully went aboard RNLB Rose to accompany their vessel to Newlyn.
The damage to the stern of the yacht required the lifeboat crew to keep their salvage pump on throughout the entire tow as water was still coming into the vessel. Upon arrival at Newlyn the yacht was safely secured and its two crew members were very thankful for the emergency assistance they had received.
Thank you to our colleagues at Penlee Lifeboat for the very welcome refreshments before embarking on the journey home. RNLB Rose arrived back at her station at 10.32am.
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.
