BEMBRIDGE RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat launched today, Easter Sunday, to assist a 16m fishing trawler that had suffered a mechanical failure.

RNLB Alfred Albert Williams — Tamar Lifeboat 16-17 — was launched at the request of UK (Solent) Coastguard at around 9am this morning to take over towing the 16m trawler with five crew onboard that had broken down while in the fishing grounds to the south east of the Island from another fishing boat.

By the time the lifeboat reached them at 9.18am they were three miles north of the Nab Tower.

Having taken over the tow, they took the trawler into Portsmouth and handed her over to a local fishing boat to manoeuvre her into the Camber once the Wightlink ferry had sailed.

The Alfred Albert Williams then returned to Bembridge and was recovered by 12.45pm.