BUCKIE LIFEBOAT TOWS LARGE MOTOR CRUISER TO SAFETY
At 1.15pm today, Monday 21 March, the RNLI’s Buckie Lifeboat was tasked by UK Coastguard to assist a 16-metre motor cruiser which had lost steering whilst on passage to Inverness as part of a longer voyage to Wales.
The station’s Severn-class ‘William Blannin’ immediately put to sea and, on arrival on scene off Spey Bay, coxswain Stuart Mack assessed that the cruiser would require to be towed to the nearest safe harbour – Buckie.
In favourable conditions, the lifeboat’s volunteer crew quickly transferred a towline and bridle to the casualty vessel and began a steady tow back to base. The two vessels re-entered Buckie Harbour around 2.40pm and the lifeboat was ready for further service by around 3.50pm.
Coxswain Stuart Mack says: “In the prevailing conditions, this was a relatively straightforward recovery. I would like to record our thanks to Buckie Harbour staff who came down to handle lines when we brought the casualty vessel alongside.”
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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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