Drunk skipper given suspended sentence

The skipper of the Corontine, Michael MacEachern admitted being drunk in charge of the trawler after it ran aground near Fleetwood Docks, Lancashire.

Corontine' ran aground in the Fleetwood dock . Skipper arrested
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7 July

Skipper Michael MacEachern, 45, drank seven pints of cider before attempting to navigate the 60-tonne whelk trawler, Corontine through Fleetwood harbour in the early hours of 7 June.

Preston Crown Court heard that he lost control of the vessel and ran aground on the Tiger’s Tail sandbank.

Volunteers with the Fleetwood RNLI had to rescue MacEachern and his four stranded crew.

The court was told that initially, the skipper was unwilling to leave the trawler.

Once MacEachern was on land, he was arrested by Lancashire Police on suspicion of sailing a vessel while over the alcohol limit.

The skipper was then given a breath test at Fleetwood Police Station.

It showed he had 55 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of breath. The legal limit to captain a boat is 35 micrograms.

He was subsequently charged with being a master/pilot/seaman on duty while over the prescribed limit of alcohol.

MacEachern, of Sherwood Grove, Huntington, York, was sentenced to eight months suspended for 18 months.

8 June

Skipper Michael Maceachern, from York, was charged by Lancashire Police following a breath test.

The 45-year-old and his four crew members had to be rescued by Fleetwood RNLI after the Corontine ran aground at Fleetwood Docks in Lancashire.

The 60-tonne fishing trawler had become stuck on a sandbank, known locally as Tiger’s Tail.

HM Coastguards contacted volunteers with the Fleetwood RNLI at 2am on 7 June following reports of the grounded fishing vessel.

The RNLI responded, taking the crew of the Corontine off their vessel and returning them to the safety of the lifeboat station.

On shore, police arrested Maceachern on suspicion of sailing a vessel while over the alcohol limit. The skipper was then given a breath test.

He was subsequently charged with being a master/pilot/seaman on duty while over the prescribed limit of alcohol.

He appeared before Blackpool Magistrates’ Court that afternoon and is expected to appear at a later date.

The fishing vessel was refloated on the high tide and returned to dock.