Beaumaris lifeboat volunteers tasked to a boat adrift on the Menai Strait

The Beaumaris Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat Annette Mary Liddington with her volunteer crew, proceeded towards the area in order to locate the craft.

When the lifeboat arrived, the drifting vessel which was unoccupied had been stopped by a passing commercial pleasure boat with passengers aboard. Because of the passengers aboard the pleasure craft an assessment was made by the lifeboat helm in consultation with the Coastguard and the crew of the passenger boat as to the best course of action to be taken.

It was decided that due to the pleasure craft having passengers onboard and the fact that the unoccupied vessel would be creating a navigation hazard, for safety reasons, the lifeboat would tow the drifting boat to the nearest safe haven. This being the pier at Menai Bridge, where the Bangor Mobile Coastguard Team had arrived to assist with the berthing.

Once this task had been completed the lifeboat was released by the Coastguard to return to her station to be refuelled and cleaned. Once this had been completed the crew left the station.

A RNLI spokesperson said: ‘The first informant did the correct thing in alerting the Coastguard to the situation. This meant our volunteer lifeboat crew were able to reach the location quickly, assess the situation and take the best course of action to prevent the situation worsening.’

RNLI Media Contacts

For further information, please contact:

John Pulford, Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer for RNLI Wales & West, [email protected]

Claire Fitzpatrick-Smith, RNLI Regional Communications Manager for Wales, West of England and Isle of Man, 07977 728 315, [email protected]

Danielle Rush, RNLI Regional Communications Lead for Wales, West of England and Isle of Man, 07786 668829, [email protected]

RNLI Press Office, 01202 336789, [email protected]

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The RNLI is the charity that 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 146,700 lives.

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