At 04:26 Falmouth Coastguard requested that Falmouth Inshore Lifeboat be launched to assist the All Weather Lifeboat in a service to the 27m Luxury Motor Yacht Grand Lady that she had parted its anchor cable and was aground in St Mawes with twelve people onboard.

Falmouth All Weather Lifeboat had left its pontoon berth at 04:23 and having made contact with the skipper of the Grand Lady the Coxswain decided to request the launch of the Inshore Lifeboat to assist in taking off the non essential personnel and to transfer a tow line. The Inshore Lifeboat launched from her slipway at 04:32, arriving on scene off St Mawes at 04:38. The All Weather Lifeboat had arrived off St Mawes at 04:36 and used its searchlights to illuminate the scene while the Inshore Lifeboat placed a crewman onboard the vessel and evacuated the eight casualties who were safely transferred to the All Weather Lifeboat at 04:51.

At 05:00 the towline had been transferred to the stern of the vessel and by 05:08 the Grand Lady was towed clear and out into deeper water. As the vessel was unable to use its own engines due to concerns that the propellers had been damaged in the grounding, the All Weather Lifeboat towed the vessel back to Falmouth where she was berthed on the County Wharf Pontoon at 06:35 with the Inshore Lifeboat standing by to assist as required.

During this service the Inshore Lifeboat was also diverted to assist the Fastnet Yacht Xara which was dragging its anchor onto Trefusis Point (see separate service report), and on completion of this tasking the Inshore Lifeboat returned to St Mawes to recover the Grand Ladys rigid inflatable tender which had also ended up ashore, the tender being safely moored in St Mawes Harbour at 07:19.

The Inshore Lifeboat was back on its slipway by 07:35 where it was refuelled, and was ready for service by 07:50.

The Grand Lady is a Luxury Motor Yacht, which provides five star accommodation and is available for charter on the South Coast of England. The vessels anchor cable had parted in near gale conditions and despite the efforts of the skipper and crew they were unable to prevent the vessel going aground.

An Inshore Lifeboat Service

 

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