Llandudno: Sea rescue drama as boat in danger near pier

"The most technically difficult set of manoeuvres that I have ever had to do," says Llandudno RNLI coxswain Tim James

A lifeboat has rescued another vessel which lost an engine and was in danger near a pier off north Wales.

The 40ft (12m) boat was trying to anchor in Llandudno Bay after the engine failure, but the person on board had problems holding it in a safe position in rough seas, said the RNLI.

It was in "potential peril" when the lifeboat was launched on Tuesday night.

It was escorted to the Conwy estuary, but lost a second engine on the way, and had to be towed by the lifeboat.

Lifeboat coxswain Tim James said it was "extremely challenging," with "very heavy seas" and breaking waves knocking the rescued vessel "badly off course and pushing it all the time towards the rocks" off the Great Orme.

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There were also difficulties berthing the boat at Conwy, with "heavy winds, very fast running spring tides and poor visibility, hampered by heavy driving rain".

He called it "the most technically difficult set of manoeuvres that I have ever had to do to get a casualty safely alongside".

The lifeboat was launched just before 18:30 BST, and the rescued vessel was finally moored at a jetty upstream three-and-a-half hours later.

The rescue was hampered by "heavy winds, very fast running spring tides and poor visibility, hampered by heavy driving rain"

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