RNLI Port Talbot launched to broken-down fishing vessel
RNLI Port Talbot were paged by HMCG at 5.52pm on Friday 10 March to go to a broken down 17-foot fishing vessel in the river Afan with two persons on board safely anchored.
Helm James Jennings stated: 'As the vessel was safely anchored I could take the extra time to ensure I picked the perfect time to navigate my way through the large surf ensuring the safety of the crew and lifeboat allowing us to arrive on scene in the best possible condition to assist the casualty vessel.
'On arrival on scene I dynamically assessed the situation and decided the best option was to tow the vessel to first point of safety which also happened to the home port of the vessel. The crew showed benefit of all their many hours of training by setting up the tow in a fast and professional manner allowing for a safe and speedy resolution. The the casualty did exactly the right thing by calling for assistance early and setting his anchor.'
Rather than recover the lifeboat at high water on our primary launch site through the surf in the dark, the decision was made to recover at the River Afan using our secondary launch site and our Land Rover.
Clive Morris, Lifeboat Operations Manager, stated: 'Considering for most volunteers it was the end of the working week, large numbers of crew and shore crew postponed their weekend start to assist with saving lives at sea.'
RNLI Port Talbot shore crew then recovered the lifeboat, refuelled, wash down and made ready for service.
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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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