Bangor RNLI rescue two people on broken down motorboat
At 7:30am this morning (23 July), Bangor RNLI was requested by HM Coastguard to attend a boat off Carrickfergus in Belfast Lough, following the firing of a red distress flare.
On arrival at the scene, the volunteer crew were able to confirm that the boat, with two men on board, had fired the flare.
The men had left Carrickfergus early yesterday evening in calm conditions, and had then suffered the loss of their main engine, followed by the failure of the auxiliary outboard.
After several hours trying to fix the problem without success, and with no working mobile phone or radio, they decided to wait until morning to fire a flare to attract attention.
The crew quickly rigged up a line between the stricken vessel and the Bangor lifeboat Jessie Hillyard, and towed them to Carrickfergus marina. Just outside the marina they tied the motorboat alongside for better manoeuvrability in the close confines of the marina.
Bangor RNLI helm Gareth Whan said “The crew and I are happy to have brought these men to safety, after what must have been a fairly miserable night for them on board a boat with no power in Belfast Lough.
“Incidents like this highlight the importance of ensuring your engines are in good working order, and the need to have a reliable way of calling for help if things go wrong. Luckily for them, the weather stayed good overnight, and the flare was spotted this morning.”
Ends
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