Llandudno lifeboats urgently respond to sailing vessel in peril
Llandudno inshore lifeboat Dr Barbara Saunderson was launched at 7.50am on Saturday 1 July to provide urgent assistance to a 27-foot yacht which was taking on water.
The yacht was anchored close to Llandudno Pier. The sole occupant on board had been making efforts to bail out the advancing water before calling the Coastguard for the help of the lifeboat. The inshore lifeboat crew of four were quickly on scene, firstly to evacuate the casualty and then to make an assessment regarding the best solution for salvaging the waterlogged vessel.
Two crew members remained on the yacht while the lifeboat carried the casualty back to shore to meet the Llandudno Coastguard Team. At 8am the Llandudno all weather lifeboat William F Yates was also requested to launch, to deliver a salvage pump to the crew on board and then prepare for a tow to Conwy Marina where the yacht could be lifted from the water.
After securing the yacht, the all-weather lifeboat started a demanding two-hour tow to Conwy. Two of the lifeboat crew remained on board to continue operating the salvage pump as well as handling the yacht for its return to safety. Meanwhile the inshore lifeboat was able to return to the boathouse having been stood down by HM Coastguard.
Lifeboat Operations Manager Capt. Marcus Elliott reported, ‘This was an excellent job all round with a very satisfactory outcome. I am pleased to report the yachtsman is safe and well and his boat has been recovered and lifted from the water at Conwy Marina. All of our crew are now safely back at lifeboat station preparing the boats for their next launches.’
Congratulations to Leon Bagnall on completing his first operational service as part of the inshore lifeboat crew today.
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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 142,700 lives.
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