RNLI, or Sea Start?
- Thread starter Rustyknight
- Start date
Sandy
Well-known member
Sounds like good advice from the RNLI. Do SeaStart cover the area?
Juan Twothree
Well-known member
Slightly more context in the Swanage Lifeboat press release:
The yacht had been making way under sail, however the wind had dropped and the yacht was struggling to make way against the tide. The yacht skipper had also explained to UK HM Coastguard that there was no fuel so they could not rely on their engine. The yacht was reported to be between Durlston and St Albans Head and ALB launched quickly and made contact with the casualty yacht. As the lifeboat rounded Peveril Point Buoy to commence heading west, communication was established with the casualty yacht who advised the lifeboat that they were in Durlston Bay making way under sail with their spinnaker up as the wind had picked up slightly.
With the yacht identified and now entering open water, with intentions to head to the Solent, the skipper confirmed he was happy to continue on route if they could arrange a plan to take on some fuel. The lifeboat informed the skipper of the services of Sea Start, and contact was established to arrange assistance. With the yacht safely underway, with fuel provision arranged, the lifeboat was freed to return to station.
The yacht had been making way under sail, however the wind had dropped and the yacht was struggling to make way against the tide. The yacht skipper had also explained to UK HM Coastguard that there was no fuel so they could not rely on their engine. The yacht was reported to be between Durlston and St Albans Head and ALB launched quickly and made contact with the casualty yacht. As the lifeboat rounded Peveril Point Buoy to commence heading west, communication was established with the casualty yacht who advised the lifeboat that they were in Durlston Bay making way under sail with their spinnaker up as the wind had picked up slightly.
With the yacht identified and now entering open water, with intentions to head to the Solent, the skipper confirmed he was happy to continue on route if they could arrange a plan to take on some fuel. The lifeboat informed the skipper of the services of Sea Start, and contact was established to arrange assistance. With the yacht safely underway, with fuel provision arranged, the lifeboat was freed to return to station.
Caer Urfa
Well-known member
The mentality of the so called skipper is questionable when he decides to put to sea knowing he did not have any fuel, 'some mother do have em'!
Just_sayin'
Well-known member
OR he put to sea WITH fuel and used it all … perhaps a faulty guage.
Rustyknight
Well-known member
One thing missing from the two sources above is the yachts starting point. Running out of fuel if on passage from Weymouth is totally different to a passage from, say, the Channel Islands, or even further afield.
Sandy
Well-known member
An interesting point. I wonder if the boat had a couple of jerry cans onboard as a reserve? I know I do.
Stemar
Well-known member
A dirtier than expected bottom could easily eat up a good supply of fuel for a longer trip plus the reserves - or something caught on the prop reducing its efficiency - or just a new to the skipper boat and an optimistic fuel gauge. Whatever the reason for the lack of fuel, a lesson learned (I hope) and, IMO, sensible advice from the LB crew.
At the risk of starting another debate, I'm glad the RNLI are willing (and able) to respond to this sort of call without charge. Far better for them to be called for something easily resolved than for a delay to mean they're trying to save lives or recover bodies
At the risk of starting another debate, I'm glad the RNLI are willing (and able) to respond to this sort of call without charge. Far better for them to be called for something easily resolved than for a delay to mean they're trying to save lives or recover bodies
boomerangben
Well-known member
Aside from the details about how much fuel the boat did or did not have when leaving port, good call by the skipper to get help early on. Early cries for help generally end with fewer tears
ridgy
Well-known member
When I was based at Holyhead the lifeboat crew would assemble there every weekend, almost like a social club and seemed to be very much looking forward to call out for any reason.
Not that I've ever called them out but it did make me feel a lot better about the prospect.
Ceirwan
Well-known member
I normally like to stop the engine before I run out of fuel, but could be a faulty gauge.
At least he called them in good time, no real harm done.
I normally keep a spare 5 litre plastic fuel container onboard that is purely as an emergency reserve.
At the end of the season I either use it to brim the tank or if thats full, chuck in the car and get fresh for next year.
At least he called them in good time, no real harm done.
I normally keep a spare 5 litre plastic fuel container onboard that is purely as an emergency reserve.
At the end of the season I either use it to brim the tank or if thats full, chuck in the car and get fresh for next year.
2001pt
New member
Seems sensible advice from the RNLI although I didn’t know that you could just call up Sea Start without already being a member.
I’ve had the misfortune to call them out twice & both times they’ve been excellent. Happy to continue the membership for peace of mind even though the troublesome engine got replaced & (touch wood!) I’ve never needed their services again
I’ve had the misfortune to call them out twice & both times they’ve been excellent. Happy to continue the membership for peace of mind even though the troublesome engine got replaced & (touch wood!) I’ve never needed their services again
xyachtdave
Well-known member
I know you shouldn’t repeat anything overheard on VHF, so I’ve made this up.
Dutch Yacht out of diesel by Southend Pier, now at anchor, it’s sunny with 10 knots of breeze, so nothing exciting about to happen, lots of radio coms with Dover Coastguard.
Coastguard gives him the phone number for Sea Start. We were wondering if they’d come to Essex from the Solent…5 minutes later our suspicions are confirmed…they’re not coming!
Coastguard issues an all stations, if you have spare diesel in the vicinity of Southend and can help please respond, this becomes a tumbleweed moment full of awkward silence.
About 10 minutes later the skipper of the disabled yacht announces he actually has 20 litres of red diesel on board but he didn’t want to use it as would cause an issue back at home.
He pours in his diesel and all is well.
Dutch Yacht out of diesel by Southend Pier, now at anchor, it’s sunny with 10 knots of breeze, so nothing exciting about to happen, lots of radio coms with Dover Coastguard.
Coastguard gives him the phone number for Sea Start. We were wondering if they’d come to Essex from the Solent…5 minutes later our suspicions are confirmed…they’re not coming!
Coastguard issues an all stations, if you have spare diesel in the vicinity of Southend and can help please respond, this becomes a tumbleweed moment full of awkward silence.
About 10 minutes later the skipper of the disabled yacht announces he actually has 20 litres of red diesel on board but he didn’t want to use it as would cause an issue back at home.
He pours in his diesel and all is well.
Juan Twothree
Well-known member
Dover CG's area is mainly being covered from the NMOC at Fareham at the moment, hence their expectation that Solent norms apply.
But it would make life easier if they called themselves Dover CG on the radio, rather than Solent
Juan Twothree
Well-known member
Do you really think that? Or are you just parroting what Nigel Farage and the Daily Mail have been telling you?
3 of the 238 ish lifeboat stations around the coast sometimes get called to migrants. What do you think the other 235 are doing? Nothing?
Even those 3 on the channel are still available for other search and rescue incidents, not just migrants calls.
Learn to think for yourself.
jordanbasset
Well-known member
Well said
dunedin
Well-known member
Plus of course the RNLI does not choose who it is called out to rescue. It is the MCA / Coastguard that calls out rescue services such as the RNLI. The RNLI always responds to an MCA request.
Mister E
Well-known member
Would Sea Start come to North Wales?
LittleSister
Well-known member
I am surprised that people think it is so unseamanlike to have no fuel on board (i.e. no engine available) in a sailing boat. Leaving aside how or why they found themselves without fuel, do you all think it is unseamanlike to sail a boat without an engine?
Having had on my early boats either not completely reliable or rather thirsty outboards and very limited fuel carrying capacity, together with a penchant for longer distance cruising, it doesn't seem a big deal to me.
Previously one of the first skippers I sailed with had trained me to always be thinking 'What would I do if the engine (or wind or whatever) failed right now?', and avoid (as far as possible) getting into situations (e.g. close to cliffs, lee shores, downstream buoys or other obstructions) where a sudden failure would leave us without time or other measures to extract ourselves from the pickle.
I was once on passage back to Lymington from Brittany via Salcombe, and after a night at Lyme Regis the engine refused to start. It never occurred to me to call either Sea Start or the RNLI. We just sailed. We also, like the rescued boat as reported in the above posts above, struggled at times to maintain way, but that's part of sailing.
We were making our way slowly, in very light wind, through the inside passage at Portland Bill (it would have taken too long in the light wind to sail out to seaward of the overfalls) when we lost wind altogether just off its tip, and pirouetted round and round in the tide through the overfalls around the point and across the Shambles, but it was calm conditions and the tail end of the tide, otherwise we wouldn't have attempted it and stayed put at Lyme Regis.
Having regained a little wind and steerage near the Shambles, we continued, but spent most of the night off St. Aldhelm's Head merely stemming the adverse tide and waiting for it to turn. When it finally did we made our way to Studland Bay and anchored to catch up on our much needed sleep before continuing on our way.
The worst parts of the journey were (a) running out of teabags - a real disaster!; (b) getting really very worried (lifejackets on etc.) when a passing ship turned and started heading for us off St. Aldhelms Head in the dark when we hadn't the headway to get clear out of its way (whether my frantic signalling made any difference I don't know, but it passed maybe 100 yards away); (c) me foolishly allowing myself to get distracted from steering while helping the crew put out fenders as we sailed into Lymington, putting us on the mud near the marina. At that point, unable to kedge us off by simply throwing the anchor (pumping up the inflatable would have taken too long on the falling tide), I did then call for help, and the marina launch kindly towed us off, but had that been unavailable we would've just had to sit out another tide, probably on our ear, before refloating and getting ourselves off.
Now, I understand there's a whole generation who have grown up with ultra-reliable cars, boats, etc. and don't have the experience, skills, mindset or whatever to manage without them, and if they need to call the RNLI or Sea Start then so be it, but I am surprised, as I said, that several of you forumites seem to think that allowing oneself to be out without an engine is in itself problematic.
Having had on my early boats either not completely reliable or rather thirsty outboards and very limited fuel carrying capacity, together with a penchant for longer distance cruising, it doesn't seem a big deal to me.
Previously one of the first skippers I sailed with had trained me to always be thinking 'What would I do if the engine (or wind or whatever) failed right now?', and avoid (as far as possible) getting into situations (e.g. close to cliffs, lee shores, downstream buoys or other obstructions) where a sudden failure would leave us without time or other measures to extract ourselves from the pickle.
I was once on passage back to Lymington from Brittany via Salcombe, and after a night at Lyme Regis the engine refused to start. It never occurred to me to call either Sea Start or the RNLI. We just sailed. We also, like the rescued boat as reported in the above posts above, struggled at times to maintain way, but that's part of sailing.
We were making our way slowly, in very light wind, through the inside passage at Portland Bill (it would have taken too long in the light wind to sail out to seaward of the overfalls) when we lost wind altogether just off its tip, and pirouetted round and round in the tide through the overfalls around the point and across the Shambles, but it was calm conditions and the tail end of the tide, otherwise we wouldn't have attempted it and stayed put at Lyme Regis.
Having regained a little wind and steerage near the Shambles, we continued, but spent most of the night off St. Aldhelm's Head merely stemming the adverse tide and waiting for it to turn. When it finally did we made our way to Studland Bay and anchored to catch up on our much needed sleep before continuing on our way.
The worst parts of the journey were (a) running out of teabags - a real disaster!; (b) getting really very worried (lifejackets on etc.) when a passing ship turned and started heading for us off St. Aldhelms Head in the dark when we hadn't the headway to get clear out of its way (whether my frantic signalling made any difference I don't know, but it passed maybe 100 yards away); (c) me foolishly allowing myself to get distracted from steering while helping the crew put out fenders as we sailed into Lymington, putting us on the mud near the marina. At that point, unable to kedge us off by simply throwing the anchor (pumping up the inflatable would have taken too long on the falling tide), I did then call for help, and the marina launch kindly towed us off, but had that been unavailable we would've just had to sit out another tide, probably on our ear, before refloating and getting ourselves off.
Now, I understand there's a whole generation who have grown up with ultra-reliable cars, boats, etc. and don't have the experience, skills, mindset or whatever to manage without them, and if they need to call the RNLI or Sea Start then so be it, but I am surprised, as I said, that several of you forumites seem to think that allowing oneself to be out without an engine is in itself problematic.
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Juan Twothree
Well-known member
Never mind a lifeboat, I'd have insisted on helicopter assistance at this point.
