Articles Exmouth RNLI volunteers tow fishing boat through the night

Exmouth RNLI volunteers tow fishing boat through the night

Exmouth RNLI volunteers tow fishing boat through the night

Shannon class lifeboat R and J Welburn launched at 7.44pm on 9 November to reports of a broken down fishing boat 10 miles south of Lyme Regis. The 26 tonne vessel with two people on board had mechanical failure and was drifting in the dark.

Crew volunteers arrived on scene at 8.49pm after travelling at a steady 20 knots in the dark on the state-of-the-art all-weather lifeboat. In Force 3 south-westerly wind conditions, the highly trained volunteers attached a tow rope and embarked on a long journey to Brixham, where the 25 foot crabber was registered. Leaving the casualty at 2.20am, R and J Welburnreturned to Exmouth lifeboat station at 3am and was ready for service again at 3.35am.

Second Mechanic, Mark Sansom was on board;

‘The casualty’s engine had failed on them. They had managed to get it working again, but at a reduced rate. By the time we were on scene, it had failed completely. The size of the sea conditions had increased considerably, so we reduced our towing speed for safety reasons.’

Author: ian_taylor@rnli.org.uk