Ramsey RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew launched yesterday morning, Sunday 20th November, at 5.45am after the UK Coastguard was alerted to an unmanned fishing vessel adrift approximately 10 miles east of Ramsey.

The unmanned fishing vessel had been under tow by another fishing vessel, from the Isle of Man to Workington, when the tow parted. Workington RNLI lifeboat was also tasked to the scene and search area.

Ramsey RNLI lifeboat, with coxswain Mark Kenyon at the helm, located the drifting, unlit and unmanned vessel at 6.40am. Two of Ramsey’s crew were put aboard the vessel and a tow to the lifeboat was safely established.

Meanwhile, Workington lifeboat located and transferred one of its crew members to the single-manned vessel that had been towing the fishing boat before the tow parted.

Ramsey lifeboat and tow rendezvoused with Workington lifeboat at 7.25am. Workington lifeboat transferred two of their crew members to the vessel being towed and the tow was transferred from Ramsey to Workington lifeboat. Ramsey’s two crew members were then recovered back to their own lifeboat.

Workington lifeboat, with one fishing vessel in tow and escorting the single-manned fishing vessel, returned to Workington.

Ramsey lifeboat then stood down and returned home to Ramsey, arriving at 8.20am. The lifeboat was recovered, rehoused, refuelled and back on-call by 9.00 am.

Coxswain Mark Kenyon said afterwards: ‘Towing can be difficult even in good conditions, to attempt it single handed in the dark with an unlit tow was, with hindsight, probably not one of the skipper’s best decisions. Once the tow parted the single handed skipper was unable to re-establish it due to fatigue and sea conditions. So rather than leave an unlit vessel drifting the coastguard requested that we find and recover it.’