RNLI assist stricken yacht off seaside town

Nation.Cymru staff

A yacht carrying a lone sailor has been towed to safety by volunteer RNLI crew members after suffering mechanical failure off the Ceredigion coast

On 2 June at 19:11, the New Quay RNLI’s Shannon class all-weather lifeboat, Roy Barker V, was launched to assist the yachtsman in difficulty.

Working alongside colleagues from Aberystwyth RNLI with six volunteer crew members on board, the lifeboat launched on service into south-westerly Force 4-5 winds.

Bernie Davies, New Quay RNLI’s coxswain, said: “The 29ft yacht had suffered mechanical failure, leaving the lone occupant fatigued and in need of assistance. Arriving on scene, Aberystwyth lifeboat crew had successfully evacuated the casualty to shore, where further care was provided.

“We transferred two crew members onto the yacht to assess the situation and attempt to resolve the issue with the vessel.

“Despite efforts, the yacht’s engine could not be restarted.

“With the vessel’s anchor beginning to drag and the risk of it becoming a navigational hazard in the approaches to Aberystwyth harbour increasing, we decided that establishing a tow was the safest course of action.”

Aberystwyth RNLI’s Launch Authority, Huw Goodchild, on his first call on service in the role, added: “Our crew were paged at 18:15 and located the vessel quickly.

“They were able to evacuate the casualty to safety but due to the challenging conditions we were unable to bring the vessel into Aberystwyth harbour, so we were grateful to the team in New Quay for launching to assist us in the rescue and use the larger lifeboat.”

Due to the prevailing weather conditions on scene, the decision was made for New Quay’s all-weather lifeboat to tow the yacht to the nearest safe haven of New Quay harbour. The yacht was successfully secured to a mooring on arrival. The lifeboat was recovered and the volunteer crew stood down at 01:30.

Ed Hides, New Quay RNLI’s Lifeboat Operations Manager, said: “It was a very long evening for our volunteer crew and we were pleased with the outcome.

“Working closely with our colleagues at Aberystwyth RNLI demonstrated just how important strong teamwork and communication are in situations like this. By combining our resources and experience, we were able to bring the incident to a safe conclusion.

“Remember, if you’re in difficulty at sea or along the coastline, please call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.”