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Rhyl Lifeboat crew diverted from exercise to assist disabled boat

Lifeboats News Release

The volunteer crew were in Rhyl harbour, practicing mooring and berthing when Holyhead Coastguard co-ordinating centre reported a disabled boat two miles off Llandulas.

Rhyl lifeboat towing casualty into harbour

RNLI/Paul Frost MBE

Rhyl lifeboat service 21 March 2023
21 Mar 2023 at 1.17pm. The coxswain proceeded at full speed from Rhyl harbour towards the position of the boat. The vessel was on passage from Beaumaris to Rhyl when the gearbox developed a fault, stopping the engine.
Luckily the sole occupant of the boat managed to contact the coastguard by mobile phone, as the electrics had failed.
On scene, the coxswain spoke to the occupant and they decided that the best course of action was to tow the boat to Rhyl, as the vessel was drifting towards shore. A tow was undertaken back to Rhyl, the lifeboat entering the harbour at approximately 2.20pm. As the tide was ebbing out of the harbour rapidly, the coxswain asked for coastguard assistance to secure the casualty vessel on the outer pontoons in Rhyl. Once the vessel was handed over to the coastguards, the lifeboat returned to sea and to station by 3pm.
Coxswain Martin Jones said ' we were able to respond very quickly to this incident, already being on exercise. The skipper did the right thing to contact the coastguard early, rather than trying to repair the engine at sea, the casualty dialled 999 and asked for Coastguard which prompted the swift response by all parties'.
from Marine traffic app.

RNLI/Paul Frost MBE

Track of Rhyl lifeboat 22.3.23

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