
Bridlington RNLI Lifeboat called to stranded fishing vessel
The volunteer crew of the Bridlington RNLI attended to a fishing vessel with limited power south of Bridlington.
Volunteer crew from Bridlington RNLI lifeboat station were tasked by HM Coastguards at 2.27pm on Thursday (4 April) in response to a fishing vessel ‘Onward Star’ that had lost power and had little chance of returning to port under its own steam some, 28 miles south east of Bridlington. With a volunteer crew of 6, Bridlington all-weather lifeboat (ALB) Antony Patrick Jones launched from Bridlington beach leaving the launch vehicle at 2.55pm.
With the all-weather lifeboat making good speed in reasonable sea conditions, the volunteer crew rendezvoused with the stricken fishing vessel in under just under two hours. Due to the position of the casualty vessel, which was close to the busy shipping grounds, the decision was taken to take it under tow, along with its crew of six and return the boat to Bridlington harbour.
After a slow but successful tow to Bridlington the fishing vessel was returned to the harbour with all its crew safely at 0.10 am, Friday (5 April). After leaving the harbour the lifeboat was recovered from the beach, washed down and re-fuelled, the ALB was back on service by 1.35 am.
Steve Emmerson, Bridlington RNLI Coxswain, said ‘The tasking to assist a fishing vessel in trouble went very well, we conducted a tow of the vessel from a potentially dangerous situation whilst suffering engine trouble. The vessel was safely returned to Bridlington harbour and a good result for all concerned.’
Mike Sayer, skipper of the Onward Star said, ‘it was brilliant to see how fast the lifeboat arrived on the scene. It was clear that the volunteer crew knew exactly what they were doing, even to the point of when to get us safely back into the harbour, which gave us a great relief as the wind was just starting to increase. Any longer and it could have been very interesting.’
Note to editors.
Photographs credited to Bridlington RNLI/Mike Milner.
RNLI Media contacts
For more information, please contact Mike Milner, RNLI Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer: [email protected] or call:07751-054052.
Key facts about the RNLI
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.
Learn more about the RNLI
For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.
Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries
Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.