Tobermory lifeboat’s busy week continues with a seven hour ‘shout’
The volunteer crew were paged just after 11am on Friday 19 July, following a PAN PAN made from an 8 metre trimaran yacht that had broken down in Loch Moidart, 25 miles north of Tobermory.
The all-weather lifeboat Elizabeth Fairlie Ramsey made best speed to the casualty vessel, arriving at the entrance to the loch at 12.20pm. Due to shallow water, the Severn class lifeboat could only go a third of the way into the loch. After establishing communication with the casualty vessel via a radio relay with the Salen Coastguard Rescue Team, it was ascertained that the vessel had broken down. She was unable to sail out of the loch due to the 20 knot winds pushing her onshore, and her anchor was holding.
With the casualty vessel unable to motor or sail out of the loch, the best course of action was to tow the vessel to a safe location. The crew of the lifeboat launched the daughter craft (Y-boat), with two crew members onboard, and made the 1 mile journey to the casualty vessel. Once on scene, with the winds dropping, the two crew members were able to rig the Y-boat between the hull and the outriggers of the trimaran and pushed the yacht back to deeper water. They rendezvoused with the lifeboat and followed her back into open water where a tow line was attached. Leaving the two lifeboat crew members, together with the yacht crew onboard the casualty vessel, the lifeboat towed both vessels to the nearest safe haven - Arisaig, 7.5 miles to the north. The lifeboat then returned to Tobermory, covering a total distance of 65 miles on this service. She was refuelled and made ready for service by 6.30pm.
Deputy coxswain Dave Underwood said; ‘We are extremely grateful to our colleagues from the Salen Coastguard Rescue Team who had eyes on the casualty vessel and our Y-boat the entire time and relayed all the radio calls.’
Tobermory Lifeboat Day 2024: the annual lifeboat day will be held on Sunday 11 August at the pontoons. Come and join us for a tour around the lifeboat, meet the crew, stalls, local food, auction, raffle, the hotly contested raft race and more.
RNLI media contacts
Leanne Blair, Tobermory RNLI Volunteer Deputy Lifeboat Press Officer on 07711549609 or [email protected]
Natasha Bennett, RNLI Regional Media Officer for Scotland, 07826 900639, [email protected]
Martin Macnamara, RNLI Regional Media Manager for Scotland, 07920 365929, [email protected]
RNLI Press Office, 01202 336789
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.
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