Falmouth lifeboat tows stricken yacht home in 5m swells

Thirty nautical miles out from Pendennis Head, in a 5m swell and a 30 knot wind, a yacht with two people aboard had lost its rudder. Sunday morning had barely started. For Joe Sibley, it was his first shout in charge.

The call

Falmouth RNLI’s volunteer crew had their pagers activated at 7.10am on Sunday 12 July, with a request from Falmouth Coastguard to assist a yacht 30 nautical miles south, south east of Pendennis Head. Two people were on board and the yacht had lost its rudder, leaving it with no way to steer.

The all-weather lifeboat ‘Decibel Too’ slipped her mooring at 7.25am under the command of Joe Sibley, on his first shout as a qualified coxswain. With him were crew members Andy Edwards, Joe Amps, Abbi Hughes, Claudia Jenkin and David Jones.

Two hours out in a 5m swell

The lifeboat battled 5m swells and 30 knot winds on the way out, arriving on scene at 9.15am.

The merchant ship Federal Alster was standing by and provided a lee for the lifeboat, giving her some shelter from the weather while she manoeuvred close to the yacht.

The decision to tow

After assessing the situation, and taking the view that the yacht would be a hazard to shipping if left where it was, the crew decided to take it under tow back to Falmouth.

The tow was established and a slow return began.

Seven hours

The lifeboat and her tow came into Falmouth shortly after 2.00pm, seven hours after launching.

📷Credit: RNLI