Porthcawl RNLI’s volunteer crew were paged by HM Coastguard following a Pan Pan call from a yacht which had suffered a broken rudder and been pinned against the breakwater. When it had managed to deploy an anchor it began dragging.
The charity’s D Class lifeboat Hugo Missen was initially launched with crew assisting the yacht to deploy its anchor and ensure it was holding. Two people were then taken ashore to safety from the casualty vessel as it was not possible at that time to gain entry to the marina for at least an hour.
The charity’s Atlantic 85 lifeboat Rose of the Shires was also launched on service. The helm assessed the situation and made the decision that due to the risk of the vessel dragging anchor again and the potential hazard to swimmers and other water users at Sandy Bay (Coney Beach) it was safest to take the casualty vessel in tow and into the safe haven of Porthcawl Marina as soon as the lock gates opened. Towing through the narrow marina entrance was fairly challenging due to the yacht having no steerage. It was placed alongside a pontoon for the skipper to undertake repairs.
Porthcawl Coastguard and Port Talbot Coastguard teams were also tasked to assist with this incident.
To support Porthcawl RNLI’s volunteer crew and power us to our next rescue: https://fundraise.rnli.org/fundraisers/Porthcawl