< Go Back Early morning call for lifeboat volunteers Posted: Aug 18, 2020 Lytham St Annes RNLI Lifeboat called out to help a disabled fishing boat
in the Irish Sea
Barely twelve and a half hours after completing an all night search for two missing teenagers, the Lytham St Annes lifeboat crew were paged at 1.16 AM on Monday 17th August 2020 to assist a 30 foot (9.14m) Colvic fishing boat with two people on board and steering failure. Unsure of her position in the Irish Sea, the casualty was thought to be somewhere off the mouth of the Ribble while on passage from Liverpool to Whitehaven.
The Sea Charity s All-weather Lifeboat Barbara Anne was quickly launched under the command of Coxswain Tom Stuart and after a short search using direction finding equipment and radar found the disabled vessel just over twelve nautical miles south west from the station.
Taking the motor boat in tow, the lifeboat headed north at six knots (six nautical miles per hour), the best speed possible, towards the Wyre Estuary and safety. Arriving off Shell Wharf at the mouth of the River Wyre a few minutes before 7.00 AM, the lifeboat rendezvoused with the Fleetwood relief lifeboat Ruth and David Arthur to transfer the tow across. The Fleetwood lifeboat then headed into the Wyre with the fishing boat in tow and after a time on a mooring waiting for Fleetwood Dock Lock to open, secured the casualty safely inside the dock. Meanwhile the Lytham lifeboat, relieved of her tow, headed for home, beaching near the Thursby Home at 7.47 AM before being recovered onto her SLRS carriage and returned to her boathouse by the Shore Crew. After washing off, checking all equipment and refuelling, the Barbara Anne was ready again for service by 9.45 AM and the crew could return home or in some cases straight to their work.
Coxswain Tom Stuart said after coming ashore, It was a successful service and the casualty vessel and her crew are now safe. The lifeboat volunteers did an excellent job despite being out all night the day after another all night service .
David Forshaw (Lytham St Annes Lifeboat Press Officer)
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