Barrow RNLI launched to Assist Speedboat

Crew pagers were activated at 4-45pm following a request for assistance from the regional HM Coastguard base in Holyhead. The information received was that a small speedboat, with four people on board, had broken down close to the Belfast Berth in Walney Channel.

The Barrow inshore lifeboat, ‘Vision of Tamworth’, was launched at 4-55pm with Andy Baxter at the helm along with crew members Chris Rowland and Sean Hagan. Holyhead Coastguard provided an update to advise that the casualty vessel had managed to secure a tow from a passing vessel but requested the lifeboat to escort the vessels to the Ferry Pitchings and be ready to take over the tow if required.

At 5-12pm the casualty was safely at Ferry Pitchings where members of the Furness Coastguard Unit were on hand to offer appropriate safety advice to the people on board the speedboat.

The lifeboat returned to the Boathouse at 5-37pm where it was rehoused and made ready for the next launch.

The weather during the incident was overcast, and the wind was easterly, Force 1-2. The high tide had passed at 2-46pm with a height of 8.6 metres.

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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