When a 25ft angling boat suffered engine failure in the dark out in Liverpool Bay on Saturday, 10 November, Hoylake RNLI lifeboat was requested to launch by HM Coastguard.
The casualty vessel had four people on board. Hoylake’s all-weather Shannon class lifeboat Edmund Hawthorn Micklewood and her volunteer crew were tasked at 4.58pm and launched to the rescue.
The lifeboat located the vessel almost 11 miles offshore, just inside the approaches to the main channel into the Port of Liverpool.
The casualties had deployed an anchor to prevent them drifting into the busy shipping lanes. With the tide flooding, it was decided that the safest option for the casualties was to tow the boat to Liverpool Marina.
The lifeboat crew established a towline with the vessel and proceeded to the marina, bringing them through the lock and ensuring they were safely berthed on a pontoon.
With no further assistance required, the lifeboat headed back through the lock and returned to station to be recovered and made ready for service again.
Hoylake RNLI Coxswain Howie Owen said, “The casualties made the right call by alerting the Coastguard when they found themselves in difficulty near the busy shipping lanes of the River Mersey.
“Mechanical failure is the single biggest cause of rescue call outs to sailing and motor cruisers, accounting for nearly 20 per cent of all RNLI lifeboat launches. If you get into difficulty at sea, always call the Coastguard on VHF Channel 16 or by dialling 999.”
Image: Hoylake RNLI lifeboat was tasked by the Coastguard at 4.58pm after the angling boat crew raised the alarm. Credit: Hoylake RNLI
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