Douglas RNLI called out to broken-down motor cruiser

Douglas RNLI volunteer crew were paged on May 31 at 11.54pm to go to the aid of a broken down motor cruiser.

The twenty five foot motor cruiser with four people on board had left Whitehaven earlier in the evening bound for Douglas. With just one mile to go to Douglas harbour the motor cruiser’s engine failed and the boat started to drift northwards on the tide at which point the crew radioed for assistance.

In a flat calm sea Deputy Second Coxswain Graeme Cushnie took the all-weather lifeboat, Sir William Hillary, out of Douglas harbour into the bay and quickly located the casualty vessel.

To facilitate the establishing of a tow it was necessary for volunteer crew members Lavinia Washington and Mark Higgins to use the lifeboat’s daughter boat, an inflatable dinghy, to paddle across to the motor cruiser to secure the tow line.

With the daughter boat and its crew recovered to the lifeboat the casualty vessel was towed into Douglas harbour to a berth on the Battery Pier Visitors’ Pontoon where Douglas Coastguard were waiting to assist.

Leaving the four occupants of the motor cruiser, who were none the worse for their ordeal, in the care of the Coastguard the lifeboat returned to its berth to be made ready again for service.