Lancaster man rescued from bay after dinghy capsizes

Crews from the RNLI’s Barrow station launched both their inshore and all-weather lifeboats late on Sunday night to search for the man who had been reported as missing in the sea off Piel Island.

The request to launch the Lifeboat came from Holyhead Coastguard at 10.53pm.

The man had been using a dingy as a tender boat between his yacht, which was moored in Pile Bight, and Piel Island.

His friend, safely on Piel Island, raised the alarm when the man failed to return from his yacht to Piel after some 20 minutes.

The inshore lifeboat made an initial search to locate the yacht and having done so established that there was nobody on board and no sign of the dingy.

At 11.25pm the crew of the inshore lifeboat located the man in the vicinity of No.6 Buoy on the west side of Walney Channel.

His inflatable dingy had capsized whilst he was in Piel Chanel and he was thrown into the water.

The man, who was wearing a life-jacket, had spent several minutes in the water before managing to climb onto the upturned dingy.

He had attempted to row to safety but the incoming tide was too strong to enable him to make any progress and the current had carried him along the Channel.

The casualty, a man from Lancaster, was transferred to the inshore lifeboat and he was then brought back to the lifeboat station arriving at approximately 11.40pm.

An ambulance was called to take him to Furness General Hospital.

However, after having been given dry clothing and hot drinks by the lifeboat crew, the ambulance crew assessed the casualty as well enough to go home.