Mablethorpe RNLI called to help vessel stuck on sand bar

Mablethorpe RNLI tow a fishing vessel that got trapped on the sandbank back out to see.

Karen Cartwright, local press officer and helmswoman for Mablethorpe RNLI, explained that the crews had just returned from helping with the Minke whale that washed up on shore earlier today when they noticed the fishing vessel about a quarter of a mile out from their station at 1.20pm.

She said UK Coast Guard attempts to contact the boat through emergency channels were unsuccessful and so the crew’s new D-Class lifeboat was launched to check on it.

She said after speaking with the occupants, which turned out to be five gentlemen who had recently bought the boat for leisure uses, they found they had been caught out by the tide and the shift in the sand bar.

She said: “While it was on the sand bar it was at risk of listing to one side and taking on water.”

The crews more powerful Atlantic 85 boat, helmed by Shaun Riggell, was called out to help tow the boat to safety where it started its engines and was back on its way.

The crews recieved the two vessels above in December and hope to hold a naming ceremony for them in June.

For more information on the work of the RNLI visit: rnli.org/