Missing Conwy fishermen: Coastguard calls off search

image copyrightAmy Lamb

image captionAmy Lamb, pictured with missing boyfriend Carl McGrath, said she was "ridiculously anxious"

A major search operation for three men missing on a fishing boat off north Wales has been called off "pending further information".

The crew, missing since Wednesday, has been named as Alan Minard, Ross Ballantine and skipper Carl McGrath.

The three men were working on the Nicola Faith, which failed to return from a fishing trip in the Irish Sea.

"I just want him to be home and safe," Mr McGrath's girlfriend Amy Lamb told the Conwy Nub News.

Speaking after the search was called off on Friday, HM Coastguard's Rob Priestley said: "We have carried out highly-concentrated and thorough searches of wide areas off the north coast of Wales to locate this vessel - using all available resources - but, sadly, nothing has been found so far.

"Our thoughts are with the family and friends and the wider community at this difficult time."

image captionLlandudno RNLI's all-weather lifeboat was brought ashore as the search was called off on Friday

Mr Priestley thanked all agencies and people involved in the search, including people who used their private vessels to help.

The 10m (33ft) fishing vessel was expected back at Conwy port late on Wednesday night.

The coastguard said the alarm was raised on Thursday at 10:00 GMT and a major operation, including seven RNLI lifeboat crews and three coastguard search teams, was launched.

• Major search for three people on boat suspended

Rescue teams said the fishing vessel was last seen at 22:00 on Wednesday night off Rhos-on-Sea - east of Conwy and Llandudno in Liverpool Bay.

The search - covering hundreds of square miles - resumed off the north Wales coast at first light on Friday after it was suspended overnight.

image copyrightfamily photo

image captionRoss Ballantine has also been named as one of the crew aboard the Nicola Faith

"I don't think anybody understands until they are put into that situation," added Ms Lamb.

"I'm heartbroken. I just want him to come back. He usually goes out between Rhos and Conwy.

"He's been doing the job for about four years now, so he is very handy. He knows exactly what he's doing and he's absolutely fantastic at his job. He is probably one of the best fishermen in Conwy.

"He was a builder originally and he built the boat himself and then became a fisherman and just excelled from there really.

"He's experienced in these situations. I'm so confused of where he would be as he would know what to do."

image copyrightfamily photo

image captionAlan Minard was working on the boat having returned home from Devon because of the Covid-19 pandemic

Relatives and friends of Mr McGrath, 34, Mr Minard, 20, and Mr Ballantine, 39, who are all from the Conwy area, had been keeping a vigil at Llandudno's RNLI lifeboat station.

Ms Lamb's sister Hannah said it had been "the worst three days ever" for the fishermen's family and friends.

image captionHannah Lamb, the sister of missing skipper Carl McGrath's girlfriend Amy, says friends and family "feel helpless"

"We don't know what to do with ourselves - we feel helpless," she said.

Coastguard rescue teams from Bangor, Llandudno, Flint and Rhyl helped in the sea search along with two lifeboats from both Rhyl and Llandudno stations and another RNLI boat from Hoylake, Wirral.

Llandudno RNLI lifeboat operations manager Marcus Elliot said conditions for lifeboat crews had been "cold and wet".

"The weather has not been good and it just brings it home what these boys will do, and unfortunately, their efforts this time have not so far resulted in any positive information."

image captionThe Nicola Faith fishing boat has been missing since Wednesday

Friends of the missing crew had been helping scour the local coastline for any possible debris that may have drifted ashore.

The family of Mr Minard, from Penmaenmawr, said he had been working in Devon as an apprentice ship's engineer.

He had only been working on the Nicola Faith for a few weeks, having moved home because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

image copyrightLuw Jones

image captionA coastguard helicopter and seven RNLI lifeboats searched the area on Thursday

Mr Minard's family said they believed the crew were dropping lobster pots when they went fishing on Wednesday.

They hoped the boat had broken down and merely drifted beyond the search area.

As well as a coastguard search and rescue helicopter from Caernarfon, a fixed-wing coastguard aircraft also took part in the operation.

The RNLI lifeboat from Beaumaris also searched around the Puffin Island area off the Anglesey coast on Thursday.

image copyrightLuw Jones

image captionLifeboat teams from five different stations were assisting with the search on Thursday

Rhyl RNLI volunteer Paul Frost said the search operation covered a huge area, adding: "It is literally hundreds of square miles, the area searched is something like 30 miles across by about 15 miles out as well.

"That's why so many resources have been utilised to try and search the area adequately."