Coastguards Remind Boat Owners to Maintain Their Vessels

Coastguards are encouraging boat owners to maintain their vessels properly after they were called to assist a 20 ft boat which broke down inside Holyhead harbour.

U.K. Holyhead Coastguard received a call from a friend of the skipper at 4.00pm this afternoon reporting that he needed assistance. The Coastguard requested Holyhead inshore lifeboat to launch. The lifeboat towed the vessel back to its mooring and gave the two crew some advice regarding the state of repair of their vessel. The lifeboat crew reported back to the Coastguard that the vessel was in a bad condition and that there was only one lifejacket on board.

Mike Oates, Holyhead Coastguard says:

We are always available to help any vessel in distress at sea and would encourage skippers to call us in the first instance should their vessel get into difficulty either using DSC distress alert, vhf channel 16 or via 999 on the mobile phone. However, I would like to point out that the first two methods are far preferable since the mobile phone signal around the coast is very variable and certainly should not be relied upon. It is imperative that we are called as quickly as possible, should a vessel be in distress, since minutes can often save lives.

I would also like to encourage leisure sailors to ensure that their boat is in good working order. This is the responsibility of the skipper and should be taken seriously since lives can be at risk.

Finally, please do carry and wear a lifejacket whilst at sea. Last year, according to MCA provisional statistics, 14 people may not have lost their lives had they been wearing a lifejacket or buoyancy aid.

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