Mayday call from stricken yacht prompts early start for St Davids and Angle RNLI
St Davids and Angle RNLI responded to a Mayday distress call after a 41 foot yacht ran aground off the Smalls Lighthouse on Tuesday 8 August.
Paged at 04:57am and launching into first light with limited visibility due to fog, both all-weather lifeboats made best speed to the casualty in calm to moderate sea conditions. Coastguard Rescue Helicopter 924 also attended.
As the charity lifeboats proceeded to the casualty vessel it had become clear that the yacht had got off the rocks and was managing to make way through the water. However the damage to the hull was substantial enough that the yachts bilge system couldn’t cope with the water ingress.
St Davids all-weather lifeboat arrived first on scene first, with the casualty vessel now some 5 miles south south-east of The Smalls lighthouse.
All six people on board were fit and well, using the bilge pump and buckets to stem the flow of water onboard.
Angle all-weather lifeboat arrived on scene shortly after. As the yacht required repairs at Milford Haven, it was decided that Angle lifeboat would put crew aboard with a salvage pump.
With the situation under control, Angle accompanied the yacht back to Milford Haven and St Davids lifeboat returned to station, rehousing at 7:17am.
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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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