Kyle and Portree lifeboats called to vessel on the rocks with 3 persons on board
Kyle and Portree lifeboats were tasked to a 16 metre working vessel in the Strome narrows, which had dragged its mooring and become disabled, before then ending up on the rocks.
Kyle RNLI lifeboat Spirit of Fred. Olsen launched at 1:45pm yesterday (31st January) after the vessel ran aground in storm force winds. The lifeboat made best speed in the extreme conditions, arriving on scene in the Strome narrows area of Loch Carron at 2:10pm.
The lifeboat crew assessed the scene, and found the vessel hard aground with the boat’s crew still on board but uninjured. The vessel had been dragging its mooring, and the 3 persons on board had tried to manoeuvre out of the situation, however a chain had disabled their rudder, resulting in them drifting onto the rocks.
Portree lifeboat arrived on scene at 3:15pm, however due to the location of the vessel, and the fact that the tide was rapidly dropping, the decision was made to wait for the tide to rise a number of hours later when the boat could be refloated. Both lifeboats therefore stood by until high water at 8:00pm to ensure that there was no risk to the crew when it came off the rocks in the gale force winds.
Due to the position of the stricken vessel, when it came time to refloat, the lifeboat put a rope aboard the boat to help pull the stern around into the wind and allow them to manoeuvre safely into deeper water. After it successfully refloated and it became apparent there was no catastrophic damage, both lifeboats shadowed the vessel to the nearest safe mooring.
Once the vessel was safely secured, both lifeboats departed the scene, with Kyle lifeboat having a challenging journey back through the weather, arriving back on station at 9:30pm.
Norman Finlayson, RNLI helm for Kyle Lifeboat, says: ‘The vessel’s crew were experienced and well prepared, and were very unlucky that a chain had become lodged in their rudder, resulting in the extremely strong winds forcing them onto the rocks. It was a long shout for us, however we felt due to the conditions, it was best to stay on scene until the boat was safely tied up and there was no further risk to the crew on board.’
Notes to editors
· This is the second callout for the Kyle lifeboat’s volunteer crew
RNLI media contacts
Andrew MacDonald, Lifeboat Press Officer, 07748 707606, [email protected]
Natasha Bennett, RNLI Regional Communications Manager for Scotland, 07826 900639, [email protected]
Tom McGuire, RNLI Regional Communications Manager for Scotland and Ireland, 00353 87 476 4436, [email protected]
Martin Macnamara, RNLI Regional Communications Lead for Scotland, 07920 365929, [email protected]
RNLI Press Office, 01202 336789
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.
Learn more about the RNLI
For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.
Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries
Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.