Lytham St Annes RNLI save two casualties stranded on a yacht

On Tuesday 9 April, two sailors were bringing an 8.83m (29 foot) yacht from Rhyl to Hesketh Bank on the River Douglas, a tributary of the Ribble. Conditions when they set off were favourable but began to deteriorate as they approached the Ribble Estuary.

As the yacht was turning off the Ribble into the River Douglas, the entrance was missed and the vessel was forced onto the south bank, fortunately, floating over the stone training wall which lines the river channel as she went. She swung round to hit the bank stern on and in doing so smashed her rudder off.

In that position, stranded with her stern on the bank and bow in deeper water, she quickly developed a 45° bow down angle as the tide ebbed. The two men on board were unable to free the yacht from her predicament and so called HM Coastguard for assistance.

At 8.31am the Coastguard immediately requested the launch of the Lytham St Annes inshore lifeboat MOAM to investigate, and ensure the safety of the stranded men, one of whom was disabled and diabetic.

The lifeboat was quickly away in a strong breeze and flooding tide with Helm Will Bridge in command. Heading the 5 miles upriver to the mouth of the Douglas, Will immediately assessed the situation and checked on the casualties welfare. Requesting a diabetic check be performed on the casualty, who fortunately was stable and did not require evacuation. This gave the crew time to work out the best and least dangerous way to resolve the situation.

By then, with conditions deteriorating, Lytham St Annes’ all-weather lifeboat Barbara Anne was tasked at 9.25am to follow up and assist. She was launched into what was by now a gale force north-westerly wind and very rough sea at the mouth of the Ribble. The all-weather lifeboat headed the 9 miles towards the casualty vessel and inshore lifeboat, where the shelter of the river banks created a far calmer sea. Coxswain Tom Stuart was in command.

As the two occupants of the yacht were safe on board at that time and the dangers of attempting to transfer the disabled gentleman across were high, the two lifeboats stood by as the 10.2m high spring tide flooded in rapidly, pushed in by the strong wind. A line was passed from the inshore lifeboat to keep the yacht’s head up to the incoming flood until the vessel was on an even keel and could be eased off the bank, over the training wall and into deeper water.

With no rudder the only option was to tow the casualty into the River Douglas and with the inshore lifeboat in close attendance, the all-weather lifeboat took the yacht up to a safety on a pontoon at the Hesketh Bank Boat Yard.

The RNLI’s two lifeboats then returned to their respective boathouses despite the poor conditions prevailing. The inshore lifeboat being recovered straight away but the all-weather lifeboat had to stand off for a short period, until enough beach was uncovered after high water to allow a safe recovery on to her Shannon Launch & Recovery System.

Both lifeboats had to be washed off, refuelled and checked over by the crew and shore crew before the volunteers could leave for work or home at around 3.30pm.

It had been an excellent service given the trying conditions. Inshore lifeboat Helm Will Bridge later said: ‘The priority was the safety of the men so any attempt to take them off their yacht if it was not totally necessary was the best way to deal with the situation. Fortunately the vessel was undamaged apart from the smashed rudder.’

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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