Kinsale RNLI lifeboat first launched at 9.40pm to aid a 26ft yacht that had become propped.Visibility was poor and weather conditions were deteriorating as the vessel was located south of the Sovereign Islands. Volunteer lifeboat crew member Aidan Henry boarded the vessel to set up a stern tow until the lifeboat reached the Charles Fort area, when the yacht was taken alongside and returned safely to the Kinsale Yacht Club marina.The RNLI lifeboat returned to the station to be refuelled and made ready for service.
At 3.23am on Sunday morning (7 August) the emergency pagers went off for a second time in response to reports of distress flares in the Summercove area.Nick Searls and Jonathan Connor, who attended the earlier incident, were joined by Mark Lewis as the lifeboat searched Kinsale’s inner and outer harbours in poor visibility.The Waterford Coast Guard helicopter and Coast Guard units from The Old Head of Kinsale and Kinsale also conducted an extensive search of the area but no vessels or persons in distress were located.The operation was called off by the Coast Guard at 5.15am.
Kinsale RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager John O’Gorman said, ‘Flares are there to save lives at sea and are a vital piece of equipment for any vessel. When the RNLI receives a report of a flare being released, we respond immediately. We would ask every member of the public to be aware that flares should only be used in a genuine emergency as it sets in train an operation involving a large number of RNLI volunteers and resources and members of other rescue services.’
Ends
RNLI media contacts For more information please contact Tricia Tyson Kinsale RNLI Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer email: [email protected] Tel: 083 1529282 or Niamh Stephenson RNLI Public Relations Manager Tel: 087 1254 124 / 01 8900 460 email [email protected] or Nuala McAloon RNLI Press Officer Tel: 087 6483547 email: [email protected]
The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.
