YACHT DRIFTED FOR 30 MILES
Unmanned vessel picked up in shipping lane after coming loose from mooring:
AYACHT came loose from its mooring on Anglesey and floated for 30 miles into a major shipping lane.
RNLI volunteers had to race 12 miles off the coast of Rhyl to pull the unmanned vessel from the water after it travelled from Red Wharf Bay around the coast and out to sea.
The boat, which had origi- nally been reported stolen by its owner, was found close to the Douglas oil platform and was pulled back to shore by volunteers.
Rhyl RNLI lifeboat coxswain Martin Jones said the consequences could have been far worse.
He said: “Although there were no casualties on the yacht, it could have been a different story if another vessel struck the yacht in the busy shipping lanes.
“As such, the boat was presenting a danger to shipping.
“We are just glad to reunite the vessel with her owner.”
Rhyl’s RNLI crew were called out to the scene at around midday last Monday by the UK Coastguard.
The drifting vessel was reported by Vos Inspirer, the ship which guards the Douglas platform.
A spokesman added: “The vessel was also in the middle of the busy shipping lanes at the approaches to Liverpool, and had already travelled some 30 miles from where it was moored.
“The volunteer lifeboat crew launched the relief allweather lifeboat The Lincolnshire Poacher and proceeded at full speed to the complex, navigating through the Gwynt y Môr wind farm, reaching the location about an hour later.
“The support vessel (the Vor Inspirer) had launched their daughter boat, and were using this to prevent the yacht getting any closer to the complex.
“Once on scene, a lifeboat crew member was put on board, and the yacht was taken in tow back to Rhyl.
“The tow took about another two hours.”
The spokesman added that the owner of the boat was then contacted, who arrived and moved the yacht to Deganwy Marina.