Team Geared Up

Thanks Robin for mention. I think this is video from attempted tow off as I think the incident happened at night

The Heli isn’t part of the original Rescue.
The LB grounded at night and all the crew were taken off then.
The Heli had to lift the crew that were involved in the recovery operation the following day, when the Tug failed to pull the LB off the rocks.
The crew on the LB had deployed a liferaft to the side on the Starboard side, however it was torn off and split in two by the swells. At this stage with the only means of escape gone, it was decided to use the Heli to take off the crew and abandon the recovery attempt, as the situation was getting critical for those onboard.

Lots of discussion and pictures here :

http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/showthread.php?t=16355&highlight=rathlin

Fantastic Michael, thanks. Reading SN, was it you who put the 999 in?

@everyone - these are the photos from that page.
http://www.4shared.com/dir/5534978/98615c6a/Portrush_Lifeboat.html

also interesting local info…

Y boat Launched to pass tow to stricken RIB
Y Boat Capsizes - Crew washed ashore
Severn goes in to throw tow -
Severn washed onto rocks

Larne Trent and Fishing boat tries to pull Severn off rocks - Doesn’t move an inch
Portrush crew climb off onto rocks - Larne LB take them to Ballycastle
Larne LB and DI go to site next morning
DI + 2 crew from larne and 2 crew from Portrush climb onto Portrush lifeboat
10 foot crack 4inches wide along bottom of Hull - Engine room 3 foot of water - fish swimming inside
3X 6 man liferafts deployed into engine room and survivors cabin to aid bouyancy
1 liferaft deployed incase 5 pers onboard need to evacuate
Liferaft tears in half in swells!!!!
Larne LB floats messenger to PR LB from Tug
PR LB moved 8 foot over rocks on tow.
Tug tow breaks due to length (Not enough water for tug/ salvage vessel)
Too dangerous for crew onboard - Lost only means of escape ie. Liferaft.
DI immediately calls for evacuation from Irish CG Heli (Giving topcover)
All crew back onboard Larne LB - Back to Ballycastle
Naval Engineers arrive from Poole

Yes I spotted the lights from the original casualty at around 7:20 , went to investigate and saw the Rib on the rocks.
I then went further down the shore as there was no response to calls from the road , made contact with one of the passengers when I was closer and made sure no-one was injured. As I was the only person on scene and the boat was hard aground in the breakers I put in the 999 call , I made it known to the coastguard at that time there was no-one in any immediate danger but there was a risk of the boat going broadside and things might become more urgent very quickly.
They immediately tasked the local coastguard and Portrush lifeboat. The local guys arrived in about 10 minutes by which time I had made it alongside the RIB , I passed a rope ashore to two of our local coastguards and went back out to escort one of the female passengers who was very anxious to get off.
A 19ft fastfisher was standing by just outside the breakers by now and the coastguard were setting up lights , the first rope floated in from the fastfisher became entangled in the breakwater which left no tow rope available for the lifeboat which had just arrived , everything else that happened has been documented above.

If you look at PHO0069 , right at the starboard side of the stern of the severn was the RIBs position when the lifeboat arrived , so IMO coming is so close to pass a tow was the origin of their grounding , there was only 3 feet of water at that time , I never got wet above the chest even with a swell running.

Cheers Michael - very interesting story to learn from. I’ve sent on your eyewitness report to my team http://www.howthcoastguard.com

Michael, How many persons were onboard? If a female passenger was able to get off the RIB, wht didn’t the others get off also?

1 male skipper , 1 male passenger , 1 female passenger.

Skipper wanted to stay and assist with any tow attempt , male passenger wanted to assist him. Yes they could both have walked off at any time , and later did.

Maybe not the best thing to do. As long as there are persons onboard, it would still be classed as a rescue, as opposed to a boat recovery. If they had walked off the casualty, the Lifeboat might not have taken the risk to go in so close to save them. In fact they might not have went in at all.

RNLI (in my knowledge) won’t assist in a boat recovery or salvage. Their mission (and fundraising) is to save lives at sea only. Am I correct?

True. If the owner of the RIB knew this, then by staying onboard it would ensure that the RNLI tried to save the boat……

That might be a little unfair on the RIB skipper , He has over £60,000 invested in the boat. From what I have gathered since , the skipper had contacted a local boat to tow him free and was happy to wait until they appeared.

The skipper should have got off and not endangered the lives of our Volunteer SAR crews (Coasties and RNLI included), for the sake of £60,000 - Which I’m sure his insurance covered.
If the local boat failed to get the tow to him, he should have left then and not waited for the Lifeboat.

I agree , but for one point , the “local” boat was actually further away , time wise , than the lifeboat.
As this may be heading to an official enquiry im reluctant to say any more in public.

Sorry - I thought from your earlier post, the local boat was the Fastfisher - as you said:

“the first rope floated in from the fastfisher became entangled in the breakwater which left no tow rope available for the lifeboat which had just arrived ”

IMO - If the Fastfisher, which has less of a draught that a lifeboat couldn’t get the line to the RIB, then the skipper shouldn’t have put the Lifeboat in the position it was in by staying onboard.

++ Is the Inquiry not “Internal” as quoted by the BBC???

Ahh yes , my fault for the confusion.

The fastfisher had no hope of towing the rib from the rocks , being a smaller boat.

Their intention was to have a line ready for any larger boat prepared to give assistance.

test

Michael ,

REF your comments local boat, Where would the Local boat depart from, would it be Redbay or Ballintoy. ???