Newcastle RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat Leonard Kent was launched on Thursday evening (8 August) after the coastguard received a request for assistance from a yacht which had suffered engine failure.
The volunteer crew were requested to launch at around 7.10pm following a call for assistance from two people on board a 10-metre yacht which had suffered engine failure some two miles east of Ballyhornan on Northern Ireland’s Co Down coast.
At the time of the launch there was a Force 6 south-westerly wind and the sea was in a rough state. The Leonard Kent arrived at the yacht at around 8.10pm where the swell was up to 4 metres and the Force 6 wind persisted.
One lifeboat crew member boarded the yacht and assessed the two people onboard to be uninjured but suffering from fatigue. The crew member provided refreshments and blankets while the coxswain assessed the situation.
Given that the yacht was without any power due to the engine failure, had no sail or anchor and its crew were fatigued, in addition to the poor sea and weather conditions, it was decided to tow the yacht to the nearest safe port of Ardglass.
Speaking after the call-out, Newcastle lifeboat launch authority Daniel Curran said: “The crew were gathering for weekly training at the lifeboat station when the pagers sounded, so we were able to reach the casualty vessel quite quickly despite the poor conditions.
“The crew onboard the yacht did the right thing and called the coastguard for assistance once they identified the engine had failed. We encourage everyone going to sea to ensure they have a working means of communication.”
