Bridlington, UK – Bridlington RNLI volunteers were called into action twice over two days to assist a fishing vessel that had lost power in Storm Amy.

At 5:00 p.m. on Friday, HM Coastguard tasked Bridlington RNLI after the Scarborough RNLI had already been assisting the vessel, originally 23 nautical miles from Scarborough. Scarborough volunteers had towed the fishing vessel for over five hours in worsening winds and rough seas before calling for Bridlington RNLI support.

The Bridlington all-weather lifeboat Anthony Patrick Jones launched at 5:54 p.m., reaching the vessels at 7:17 p.m. The tow was transferred to Bridlington RNLI, but gale force winds and heavy seas limited the speed to just 2.8 knots per hour. Humber RNLI and a tug were later called in to take over the tow. The Bridlington lifeboat returned safely to the beach at 5:45 a.m., refuelled, and was back on service by 7:37 a.m.

The following day, at 12:12 p.m., HM Coastguard again requested Bridlington RNLI assistance. The original fishing vessel and the tug had made no progress off Flamborough Head. The volunteers launched at 12:51 p.m. and reached the casualty vessel by 1:19 p.m., taking it under tow to a safe area where it dropped anchor. Bridlington RNLI returned to base at 6:18 p.m. and was back on service by 7:30 p.m.

Coxswain Andy Rodgers said, “This was a challenging tasking for both the Scarborough and Bridlington crews. I would like to thank all the crew members for their commitment and dedication this weekend in what were very testing North Sea conditions. Also, can I add a big thank you for the assistance of the vessel who assisted with the tow.”

Podcast: Play in new window | Download