MIRO volunteers assist Hopeman creel boat casualty
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MORAY'S inshore rescue boat volunteers were called to the aid of a vessel stuck on rocks near Hopeman on Friday night – the eighth call-out since lockdown easing began on May 29.
MIRO (Moray Inshore Rescue Organisation) assisted a casualty off a creel boat which had got into difficulty between Hopeman and Lossiemouth.
The casualty had been in the water.
The team launched an immediate response when tasked by HM Coastguard to assist at 7.29pm on Friday, July 10.
MIRO made their way at speed to Sculptor's Cave near Covesea, where they found the casualty still on the boat.
They assisted the casualty from the vessel and on to MIRO rescue, the Glyn Whitehead 111, before securing the vessel to allow it to be recovered later.
The casualty was taken to Burghead Harbour and met by Burghead Coastguard, which were also in attendance alongside Buckie RNLI and Police Scotland.
Simon Paterson, MIRO senior coxswain, said: "We were paged by Aberdeen Coastguard at 7.29pm with four crew on board. We arrived at the incident at 7.52pm, where the vessel was aground on a rock but in good condition.
"The single person aboard was advised by MIRO crew of the time the vessel would float again and was taken ashore. The vessel was recovered safely by the owner with the assistance of another fisherman and his boat."
MIRO operations manager Peter Mackenzie said: "We were able to respond very quickly to the request for assistance and were on the scene near Covesea within 22 minutes of receiving the call.
"The service we can provide has been significantly enhanced with the introduction of our new boat, the Glyn Whitehead 111. The new equipment, for example, new radar and communications systems, are significantly superior to the systems on the old boat.
"The crew are enjoying working with the new boat and were delighted to get positive feedback from HM Coastguard who have been impressed with the speed of our response to recent call-outs."
MIRO Rescue returned to its Findhorn base where it was refuelled and made ready for service at 9.50pm.
The rescue boat has been called out nine times so far this year – with eight shouts since lockdown easing began at the end of May. MIRO was called out 14 times last year and 15 times in 2018. Rescues have included assisting sailors, swimmers, kayakers and animals in difficulty.
