Watch: yacht becomes grounded on rocks in the Wirral
The yacht had broken free from its moorings and was drifting near to rocks close to West Kirby in the Wirral
Attempts have been made to salvage a yacht, which broke free from its moorings and drifted onto rocks at Caldy Steps near West Kirby in the Wirral.
The UK Coastguard was contacted on Monday afternoon (11 September), after the stricken vessel was spotted off the coast.
Initially, it was thought that people were on board the vessel.
Posted by Wirral Coastguard Rescue Team on Monday, September 11, 2017
The Wirral Coastguard Rescue Team and the crew of the RNLI West Kirby Lifeboat attended the 32-foot yacht.
“The yacht came from West Kirby Sailing Club’s moorings, and it was seen by a householder overlooking the bay,” RNLI Launching Authority for West Kirby’s RNLI Lifeboat, Dave Henshaw told YBW.com.
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“We attempted to tow it but the conditions were too bad. We had already ascertained that there was no crew on board when we put a member of our own team on board,” he continued.
“After having a go at towing it off (the rocks) we recovered our crew member. It must have been blowing a 5-6 at the time,” added Henshaw, who said he believed the yacht was a Westerly.
The yacht on the rocks. Credit: Wirral Coastguard Rescue Team
The RNLI crew was praised for “skilful boat handling in extremely testing conditions due to the waves rebounding off the rocks thus hampering the lifeboat’s manoeuvrability”.
“It is very sad to see any vessel damaged but a relief that no one was hurt,” added Henshaw, who said members of the West Kirby Sailing Club were trying to recover the yacht “at the top of the tide” yesterday.