Fraserburgh Lifeboat in Search for Missing Fisherman

A fisherman who had left home at 10 in the morning to go out in his creel boat FR23 Goodway from Cairbbulg Boathaven, a small harbour a couple of miles across the bay from Fraserburgh was overdue and the family were concerned.

Fraserburgh Lifeboat Willie and May Gall left Fraserburgh harbour, crossed the bay and began searching the area between Cairnbulg and St Combs.

Aboard were volunteers duty coxswain Graeme Duthie, mechanic Jason Flett and crew members Amy Allan, William McDonald, Doogs Millar, Grant Morrison and Stuart Ross

The conditions were still and calm but it was pitch black.

Local Coastguard teams, the Coastguard Helicopter and Peterhead Lifeboat also joined in the night time search.
Early in the search it the missing person was named as 73 year old Joe Masson. a local and well known fisherman.

Joe’s boat FR23 Goodway was found upturned and submerged in a small channel between the wreck of a much larger boat, the fishing vessel Sovereign, which grounded on the rocks in 2005, and the Cairnbulg Beacon which is located a few hundred yards from the shore at Cairnbulg Boathaven.

Unfortunately there was no sign of Joe and the full scale search continued through out the night, into the morning and well into the next afternoon and evening The full scale search which had involved the Fraserburgh, Peterhead and Macduff lifeboats, two helicopters, teams of local coastguards and police was called off late on Sunday evening.

“Joe was known to all the crew” said Fraserburgh Lifeboat duty coxswain Graeme Duthie. “He was very well liked and well known and popular around the harbour. He was a hard worker and a topper of a guy. We’ve all got heavy hearts today. All our thoughts and prayers are with the family at this sad time.”

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI charity 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 142,700 lives.

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