Llandudno’s new lifeboat was called into action on Saturday afternoon even before it had arrived in the town.

A few hours after Llandudno’s new all-weather lifeboat William F Yates had left Kilmore Quay in Ireland on the last leg of her 400-mile delivery voyage from Poole to North Wales, she was rounding Anglesey’s Point Lynas en route to Conwy when at the request of Holyhead Coastguard she was diverted to assist two other RNLI lifeboats already attending a vessel in distress.

Moelfre and Beaumaris lifeboats had been called out earlier to assist a 70-foot Sunseeker craft which was taking in water some one and a half miles offshore. Both lifeboats had transferred pumps to the casualty but these were only just keeping the ingress at bay.

However Llandudno’s crew were able to transfer an additional pump to the yacht, enabling the situation to be stabilised.

When Beaumaris lifeboat had returned from another emergency to stand by the yacht together with Moelfre’s boat, the Llandudno crew were released to continue their passage to Conwy. The yacht was later taken to Gallows Point in the Straits by the two Anglesey lifeboats.

Although the William F Yates  is not yet on station at her new home this was her third experience of action - whilst another Llandudno crew were training aboard the lifeboat out of Poole last month they carried out two rescues of leisure craft in difficulties in dangerous situations, in the Solent and off Poole Harbour.