
Beaumaris lifeboat volunteers launched to a yacht with a faulty helm.
At 11.46 am on Monday 5 August 2024 the volunteer crew members of the Beaumaris lifeboat received a page from H. M. Coastguard at Holyhead to go to assist a yacht in danger of running aground in the Menai Strait as her helm was jammed.
Prior to the arrival of the lifeboat two local sailors had gone to the assistance of the craft and managed to free the helm. The lifeboat was asked to escort the vessel to a nearby mooring at Gallows Point Beaumaris.
A lifeboat crew volunteer boarded the vessel and ensured all was well with the three crew on board. No damage had been done to the craft and once the helm had been checked by a professional craftsman, they would return to Conwy.
The crew member requested that the skipper of the yacht advise the Coastguard once he was satisfied all was well with the steering and would be leaving the mooring. This would enable the coastguard to monitor the situation.
The lifeboat was then released by the coastguard to return to her station arriving back at 12.25 pm to be refuelled and cleaned.
A RNLI spokesperson said: ‘The yacht crew did the correct thing in alerting the Coastguard to their predicament. This meant our volunteer lifeboat crew would be able to reach the casualty quickly, assess the situation and take the best course of action to prevent the situation worsening.’
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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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