RNLI Douglas lifeboat volunteer crew were paged at 4.48pm today (1 August) to assist the Coastguards with a small fishing boat that had gone aground at Little Ness, off Marine Drive, just south of Douglas.
Coastguard Officers were already on site, dispatched out across the rocks with lines and first aid while the Fisheries protection vessel Barrule and the small boat Trampie along with the Barrule’s RIB got a line to the fishing vessel and then stood by to provide safety cover until Douglas RNLI all-weather lifeboat Sir William Hillary which had launched under the command of volunteer Deputy Second Coxswain Graeme Cushnie, arrived on scene.
The lifeboat took over the line to the fishing vessel waiting until the tide had risen enough to allow the lifeboat to tow the fishing vessel off the rocks where it was found to be taking in water. Lifeboat volunteer crewman Mark Higgins was put aboard the casualty vessel with a salvage pump enabling the boat to be towed back to Douglas where it was lifted by crane out of the water at the Battery Pier the two people who had been on board being none the worse for their experience.
Douglas RNLI all-weather lifeboat Sir William Hillary was then re-housed and made ready again for service by 7.00pm.
