Barrow lifeboat called to yacht aground off Walney Island

The tasking request for assistance was received from HM Coastguard in Holyhead at 8.13pm. The information received was that an 8-metre (26-foot) yacht with one person on board had lost its rudder and was aground off the south end of Walney Island near the lighthouse.

The crew was paged and the inshore lifeboat, Raymond and Dorothy Billingham, was launched at 8.30pm with Saul Tomlin at the helm along with crew, Mike Harris and Nic Johnson.

The lifeboat reached the grounded yacht within ten minutes and proceeded to reposition the vessel’s anchor to assist in securing its position. The team from Furness Coastguard was also in attendance and made the vessel secure from the shore side. The crewman from the yacht was safely ashore with the Coastguard and it was agreed that he would make arrangements to try and refloat his yacht on Monday’s higher tide and tow it back to a safe mooring.

The lifeboat returned to the Boathouse at 9.30pm where it was re-housed by the waiting shore crew and made ready for the next launch.

The weather at the time of the incident was good and the wind was easterly, Force 5. The high tide on Sunday evening was due at 10.37pm with a predicted height of 8.4m.

RNLI Media Contacts

For further information, please contact:

Chris Clouter, Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer for RNLI Barrow, [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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