Wick lifeboat volunteers respond to two call-outs in as many days
Wick's volunteer RNLI crew responded to two call-outs in as many days this week off the east coast.
The distress calls both involved fishing boats, one near Helmsdale and the other off Ulbster.
On Tuesday, at 6.26pm, Shetland coastguard asked Wick lifeboat to go to the assistance of a small commercial fishing vessel, around three miles south of Helmsdale, that had broadcast a Mayday call after experiencing machinery failure.
The lifeboat launched at 6.30pm and made its way to the casualty.
Meanwhile, the Helmsdale fishing vessel Reliant had heard the distress call and proceeded to help with the rescue effort and it arrived first. However, given the rock-strewn location and failing light, and with the casualty vessel relatively safe sitting at anchor, the other boat stayed in safe water and relayed communications to Wick lifeboat while it was heading to the area.
Wick lifeboat arrived on scene at 8pm and assessed the situation, with the lifeboat's daughter craft made ready in case it was needed to access the shallow water.
Given the estimated time of arrival of the rescue boat from the Dornoch-based East Sutherland Rescue Association (ESRA), which was also tasked, and communications with the casualty vessel stating that both people aboard were safe and well, the RNLI crew felt ESRA would be best placed to assess the casualty's position and to tow the vessel towards the lifeboat.
ESRA navigated in through the rocks to the casualty, attached a tow and brought the vessel close enough to the lifeboat to enable the tow to be transferred. Once this was done, the two people on the vessel were taken aboard the lifeboat to warm up and the vessel was towed to Helmsdale.
On arrival at the entrance to Helmsdale, the tow was transferred to the Reliant.
The Wick crew then departed the casualty and returned to base, arriving at midnight. The lifeboat was refuelled and made ready for service, including a full Covid-19 clean-down. This was completed and crew set off for home at 1am.
The Wick crew said they were very grateful to Reliant for its assistance both in initially responding to assist, and for the communications relay and final tow.
The second distress call came on Wednesday at around 10am after a small commercial fishing boat from Wick, the Dawn Star, experienced a machinery drive failure. The casualty was close to shore some three miles south of Wick, at the Stack of Ulbster, and was being pushed by the wind towards the cliff face.
Owing to the urgency of this tasking, Shetland coastguard paged the Wick RNLI crew directly at 10.04am and the lifeboat launched at 10.10, arriving on the scene at 10.25.
The Dawn Star was found to be some 50m off the cliff face.
The lifeboat approached the casualty bow first and passed a tow line to the vessel, bringing it out into safer water away from the cliff.
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Once in safe water, a conventional astern tow was rigged and the vessel towed to Wick, arriving at midday – exactly 12 hours after the earlier arrival.
The casualty vessel was placed alongside in the safety of Wick harbour and the lifeboat returned to its berth.
Again, a full clean-down was carried out to keep the lifeboat and station Covid secure, and the lifeboat was made ready for service at 12.24pm.
Shetland coastguard had also requested helicopter assistance to this incident and the Wick coastguard team were tasked, arriving on scene shortly after Wick lifeboat. The helicopter was on this occasion not required.
Wick RNLI coxswain Alan Lipp said: "Both incidents had the potential to have ended significantly worse than they did. Certainly for the one on Tuesday, if it hadn't been for the teamwork of ESRA and the fishing vessel Reliant and Wick lifeboat it could have had a very different outcome.
"On Wednesday a 999 call came in from some tourists walking on the cliff path as well as the DSC [digital selective call] and the distress call. If it hadn't been for the foresight of people seeing what was going on, again it could have had a very different outcome."