Survival craft in tow behind PSM Lifeboat
Being tied up alongside fishing vessel
Port St Mary Lifeboat Station - Callouts: 15th May 2002.
Weather:Fine ; Wind: SSW force 5
17:30 BST Liverpool Coastguard paged the crew of PSM all weather lifeboat after receiving a mobile phone call from the single male occupant of the 'Mathilda', a small ex-oil rig survival craft (the ships VHF radio had not been fixed); he gave his position (per his GPS navigator) as 54 deg 02.6 min North; 004 deg 38.7min West (a position approx. 1Nautical miles south of Langness Point and 3.5 Nm from Port St Mary ). The boats gearbox had failed totally and the boat was adrift in the tide rip of Langness.The fresh winds and the ebb tide were creating rough sea conditions. He had set out approximately two hours earlier from Port St Mary to return to his home port of Barrow after his enforced stay over to repair the boats gearbox. [see ALB service of 6th May].
Lifeboat "Gough Ritchie II" slipped her moorings at 17:40 BST and proceeded at full speed . The survival craft was reached within ten minutes.A tow line was quickly passed and both lifeboats arrived in harbour at 18:20 BST .
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Survival craft in tow behind PSM Lifeboat
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Being tied up alongside fishing vessel
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(Photographs copyright of B Kelly, 2002)
Edited 6-May -02