Centrica’s Crew Transfer Vessels Answer Mayday Distress Call

Skegness RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) lifeboat was called out yesterday morning when a yacht sent out a Mayday distress call off the Lincolnshire coast.

The two-man crew of the yacht Dolphin of Rhu were on passage from Wells, on the Norfolk coast, to Grimsby when they began taking on water and suffered engine failure about 10 miles east of Mablethorpe.

Before arrival of Skegness and Humber RNLI lifeboats, along with Coastguard helicopter Rescue 912, two of Centrica Energy’s wind farm support vessels who were on their way to the wind farms off Skegness came to their aid.

Windcat 9 and Windcat 17 were able to quickly locate the yacht and offer assistance.

Harold Banks, skippers on transfer vessels, said: “We picked up the mayday at about 7.40 – they said they couldn’t see land and were somewhere between the north of the Humber and the wind farm so we headed there. They were cold and wet, and pretty relieved to see us!”

Windcat 9 began towing the yacht towards Grimsby until further help arrived, with Windcat 17 standing by if needed. Skegness lifeboat crew members Matt Jackson and Joe Pieniak were transferred onto the yacht to assess the situation when the lifeboat arrived at 8:45am.

The tow was transferred to Skegness lifeboat and continued towards Grimsby while the crew of the yacht were taken on board Humber lifeboat to be airlifted by Rescue 912 to Humberside airport.