Bridlington RNLI called to aid of yacht requesting assistance

Volunteer RNLI lifeboat crew from Bridlington RNLI was requested to launch by the Coastguards at 7.19 am this morning, Wednesday (14 September) after a red flare was spotted from a yacht in the Bridlington Bay requesting assistance. The Bridlington RNLI inshore lifeboat was launched at 7.48 am and was soon on the scene. Upon reaching the yacht, who had two crew aboard, a quick assessment of the situation was conducted by the volunteer helm of the inshore lifeboat, Joff Pearson, who requested that the Bridlington all-weather boat ‘Anthony Patrick Jones’ be placed on standby in order to assist in a tow if required.

A volunteer lifeboat crew member was put aboard the yacht which was in calm waters with good visibility just north of Bridlington north pier. It was discovered that there was an issue with the engine which was causing the engine room to fill with smoke. The volunteer lifeboat crew managed to stop the engine and the yacht was taken under tow and the all-weather boat stood down. The yacht was safely returned to Bridlington harbour at 8.10am with the lifeboat Ernie Wellings returning to the beach at 8.23am.

Joff Pearson, Bridlington Inshore Lifeboat Helm stated ‘It was a text book rescue in calm conditions and the yacht was recovered without any issues. It was a great team effort and made simple because of the many hours the volunteers put in with the weekly exercises”.

RNLI Media contacts

For more information, please call Mike Milner, RNLI Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer: [email protected] or call:07751-054052. Please note, photograph by the kind permission of the boat’s owner.

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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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