Barrow Lifeboat Station’s volunteer crew launched their inshore lifeboat this evening to go to the aid of a fisherman stranded on Piel Island.
The request for assistance came from the HM Coastguard base in Holyhead, at 5:46pm this evening (Saturday 26th October 2019). HM Coastguard had been contacted by a fisherman on Piel Island who had become stranded after his boat had dragged its anchor in the strengthening wind and was out of reach from the shore.
The crew was paged and the inshore lifeboat, ‘Vision of Tamworth’, was launched at 6pm with Jonny Long at the helm assisted by two crew. The lifeboat made the short passage from the lifeboat station across to Piel Island where they picked up the fisherman and returned him to his boat which by now was starting to drift into Walney Channel. The lifeboat crew remained on scene to ensure that the fisherman was able to start his boat’s engine and proceed safely on his way.
The lifeboat returned to the boathouse at 6:15pm where it was washed down and made ready for the next launch.
The wind at the time of the incident was westerly; Force 5-6, with the next high tide due at 10:59pm with a height of 9.5 metres.
