Just before 12 noon on Saturday 5 March Fleetwood relief all- weather lifeboat launched to assist yacht Fabian who had relayed a distress call to Liverpool Coastguard and reported she had a fire onboard.
The casualty was a recent purchase and the owner was moving the yacht from Glasson Marina to her new home in Fleetwood Marina when a fire broke out in the cabin, the crew managed to put the fire out but the fire had damaged the boats electrics, which left her with no power.
When Fleetwood lifeboat arrived the yacht was dead in the water in the Glasson Chanel and immediately a tow was passed and the yacht was towed back to Fleetwood Marina.
The yacht was met by Fleetwood coastguard and safely moored alongside in the marina, Fleetwood ALB was released and preceded back to the station and made ready for service at 1.45pm.
All Weather Lifeboat Crew
Ian Ellarby, Steve Caroll, Paul Ashworth, Neil Atkinson, Dave Jordan & Daryl Randles.
RNLI media contacts
For more information please contact Fleetwood Lifeboat Press Officer Tony Clark on 07971 687078
At 4.38pm on Sunday (27 February), Fleetwood RNLI inshore lifeboat Mary Elizabeth Barnes was called investigate reports of a teenage boy spotted on the other side of the guardrails on a local bridge crossing the River Wyre.
Fleetwood volunteer crew were called after a young boy was spotted on the bridge by members of the public crossing Shard Bridge. The members of hte public dialled 999 and reported the boy to the police but, by the time the police had arrived, the boy had vanished of the bridge.
The RNLI Fleetwood inshore lifeboat was tasked to proceed to the area and search for the boy. Once on scene, they made an initial search and could not locate the casualty. Crew members were then landed ashore to search the mud banks and reed beds.
By this time, as there had not been any further sightings or a confirmation that the boy had jumped from the bridge, local coastguard units from Fleetwood and Knott End, along with the police, continued to search the banks and areas up river from Shard Bridge.
After approximately an hour and a half of searching, and with light fading, it was decided by HMCG Liverpool that there was nobody in the water.The lifeboat was stood down and returned to the station.
Helmsman Chris Ashworth said: ‘After an extensive search, no casualty was found. We continue to search until we find someone or are told to stand down.’
The first launch was at lunchtime for a reported small fishing boat aground near Stanah.The inshore lifeboat arrived on scene to find a small boat with four people on board already under tow from a passing boat.
The lifeboat took over the tow and brought the vessel back to Knott End slipway.The boat had just been bought by the owner on Ebay and had suffered engine problems.
An hour or so later, there was a report of a trawler Isadale aground in the entrance to Fleetwood Dock Channel and another vessel with a fouled propeller nearby.
Both RNLI lifeboats were launched and the inshore lifeboat took a woman off the stricken trawler and brought her to the safety of the all-weather lifeboat
For the full story please click here.
Sceptre, the British 1958 America
Back in 1958, the brand new racing yacht Sceptre made international news when she represented Britain in the America’s Cup.
In the annual two-boat race between Britain and the USA, Sceptre ended up losing out in the duel with American yacht Columbia.
However, when the sailing craft returned to Blighty she was revamped and went on to become one of the most successful racing yachts in the country during the 1960s.
In the 1970s she was converted from a racing craft into a cruiser at Preston docks and is now owned by a syndicate, the Sceptre Preservation Association.
The group sailed the vessel into Fleetwood marina back in November and over the last few months she has been out of the water.
Sceptre, 20ft long, is being re-painted and generally having a cosmetic overhaul.
Jenny Ball, who lives in the Midlands, is a member of Sceptre Preservation, along with her husband Chris.
The group has 18 members, most of whom live in the North West.
She told the Weekly News: “The group is made up of keen sailers who work together to maintain Sceptre and then enjoy going out in her during the sailing season.
“She is a beautiful vessel and there is often a great deal of interest in her.
“Sceptre is also the prize for the National School is Sailing Association, when a group of 17 and 18 year olds who have done well at their sailing clubs go out with her in the summer holidays.
“We always have a trained skipper and two volunteers along with them, and they have a great time.”
Sceptre, built in the yards of Alexander Roberts at Holylock on the Clyde, western Scotland, was brought to Fleetwood from her previous base in Cumbria because of the facilities at the marina.
In May she will ship shape, ready to take part in the prestigious annual Liverpool Boat Show.
For more information about the vessel and the syndicate, visit the website: www.sceptrepreservation.co.uk/
Plans are afoot to breathe a new lease of life into one of Fleetwood’s most iconic buildings.
A team of volunteers is to be appointed to bring the Mount Pavilion into the 21st Century with events and programmes and even a new cafe in the landmark site.
An appeal for people to join a Fleetwood task force was made at the town’s area forum.
Sally Richardson, community engagement coordinator for Wyre Strategic Partnership, said she hoped people would come forward to help run community events in the town.
Organising events at the pavilion would be a priority and a cafe in the Mount currently boarded up was a possibility.
Beautiful
She said: “ I need a group of volunteers to develop ideas in the community and to help develop projects for Fleetwood and to work with me.
“I have six area forums and I can’t develop projects for all of them.
“But the Mount will be a priority, it’s a beautiful building.”
She added: “It’s a gorgeous site which is currently being wasted by not being used.
“First, I’m waiting to see what people want and what the residents of Fleetwood want.”
A new cafe for the pavilion was first mooted four months ago after the Fleetwood Forum was given a grant of 2,000 from the strategic partnership.
The forum voted for a cafe as their top priority.
The project has become a distinct possibility with Wyre Council committing to install running water and toilets at the site.
The last time the pavilion had a tenant was in 2007 when the Proud to be British company ran their business from the building but they were eventually forced out by a devastating re on bonfire night that year.
Wyre Council has restored the building and carried out maintenance work and painting to the exterior but has been unable to attract new occupants.
For a long time the pavilion was occupied by a craft guild.
The area was due to get a boost thanks to a donation from Fleetwood benefactor Doreen Lofthouse, boss of Fisherman’s Friend lozenge company. She is contributing to the Sea change project to transform the Marine Gardens at Fleetwood and there will be enough money to provide new railings around the Mount Park.
Anyone interested in joining the Fleetwood task force should call ( 01253) 887494.
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