Porthdinllaen Lifeboat

Porthdinllaen RNLI volunteers were requested by the Coastguard to launch the Tamar class lifeboat John D Spicer at 10:24pm last night to a sinking fishing boat off Bardsey Island.

The fishing boat, with four people on board, was quickly taking on water six miles south-west off Bardsey Island.  The lifeboat crew launched the all-weather lifeboat in force 6-7 winds, quickly making their way through big swells and rough seas towards the sinking vessel.

As the volunteers were making their way to the scene the fishing boat had drifted and was now two miles north of the small island. When the fishermen reported the incident the boat’s pumps were coping but the crew soon realised that they would be safer abandoning their vessel into a liferaft as they waited for help to arrive.  The RAF from Valley was also called to assist in the rescue and the fishermen were being winched to the rescue helicopter as Porthdinllaen lifeboat crew arrived on scene.

Once safely in the helicopter the fishermen were taken to hospital.  The fishing boat had taken on too much water to be saved and Porthdinllaen RNLI volunteers stood by as a safety precaution as they waited for the fishing boat to sink.  By 12:35am the fishing boat had sunk and the lifeboat crew made their way back to station, returning at 1:45am.  The volunteers recovered the Tamar and prepared the lifeboat for the next service before returning home to their beds ready for work this morning.