
Porthdinllaen RNLI tasked to assist yacht in rough seas
Porthdinllaen RNLI Lifeboat was requested to launch to assist a yacht caught in Storm Betty on Saturday morning.
The crew were paged at 6:55am Saturday morning, after HM Coastguard had raised concerns for the safety of a yacht and its crew in Caernarfon Bay. The 13-meter yacht, with a crew of eight onboard had set off on Friday morning from Dun Laoghaire in Ireland, on passage to Pwllheli Marina but had suffered cooling issues during the voyage, and had altered course towards Porthdinllaen to shelter from the effect of the Storm.
The Tamar Class all-weather lifeboat with Second Coxswain Robert Jones at the helm, launched at 7:15am, making best possible speed towards the casualty, who was in a position approx. three and a half miles Northeast of Porthdinllaen Point. Arriving on scene, the situation was assessed and due to the yacht being unable to propel itself at a safe speed, it was decided that the best option was to tow the casualty.
With rolling seas and high winds, Second Coxswain Robert Jones skilfully managed to manoeuvre the lifeboat alongside the yacht and the tow line was successfully passed over at the first attempt. With the tow line safely rigged up, the lifeboat began towing the stricken yacht towards Porthdinllaen entering the Harbour over two hours after launching. On arrival at Porthdinllaen, the yacht was placed on a safe mooring in the sheltered bay. Once secure, four of the yachts crew were taken onboard the lifeboat and transferred ashore.
Second Coxswain Robert Jones added 'We were glad to be able to assist the yacht in the challenging conditions this morning, and I must thank the volunteer lifeboat crew who carried out their duties in a professional manner as always'.
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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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