
Barrow RNLI lifeboat Responds to Stricken Fisherman
Barrow RNLI’s volunteer crew launched their inshore lifeboat late this afternoon in response to a 999 call to the Coastguard.
The request for assistance was received from HM Coastguard in Holyhead at 5.51pm. The information received was that a lone fisherman aboard a 16-foot (4.9-metre) fishing boat was unable to re-start his engine and was stranded on the western edge of Walney Channel in the vicinity of Pickle Scar.
The crew was paged and the inshore lifeboat, Raymond and Dorothy Billingham, was launched at 6.10pm with Andy Baxter at the helm along with crew, Mike Harris and Nic Johnson. The lifeboat was at the scene within a few minutes and having carefully assessed the situation it was decided that the most appropriate course of action was to tow the vessel the short distance north along Walney Channel to the slipway at Ferry Pitchings.
With the casualty vessel towed to safety, the lifeboat was able to return to the Boathouse at Roa Island where it arrived at 7.10pm. The lifeboat was washed down and made ready for the next launch with help from the waiting shore crew.
The weather at the time of the incident was bright and clear with good visibility. The wind was north easterly, Force 4. The high tide at Barrow had passed at 2.07pm with a predicted height of 8.6 metres.
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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