Lough Derg RNLI assist man stranded on boat overnight reluctant to call for help

A man was subsequently found onboard by lifeboat crew, who discovered he had spent the night alone and stranded on the lake, as he was reluctant to call for help.

At 9.15am the lifeboat crew located the 16ft cruiser in Church Bay, behind Hare Island on the Clare shore. Church Bay is known for particular hazards - sudden shallows and rocks. The lifeboat proceeded with caution and when sufficiently close the cruiser, an RNLI volunteer waded in to the vessel to determine whether there was anyone on board, and to secure the vessel.

On inspection the RNLI volunteer found one person on board below, asleep in the cabin. The person was safe and unharmed and wearing his lifejacket. He had been stranded on his boat since 8pm the previous evening, but had been reluctant to call the rescue services, anxious not to put anyone out. The winds overnight on Lough Derg were westerly, Force 5, gusting 7.

At 9.45am the lifeboat had the vessel off and the rocks and taken under tow, with the skipper and an RNLI crew member on board to Garrykennedy harbour. The vessel was safely tied up alongside at 10.5am.

Eleanor Hooker, helm at Lough Derg RNLI says ‘no callout is routine, our training and experience tells us to expect the unexpected. We approached what we thought was an empty vessel which had slipped its moorings and found a person onboard who had spent the night alone, stranded in stormy conditions, and without help coming for them. The RNLI are there to answer any call for help. No lifeboat launch is ever a waste of our time or resources.’

Pat Garland, Deputy Launching Authority at Lough Derg RNLI Lifeboat Station added, ‘I would urge all boat users, when is difficulty to call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coast Guard. RNLI lifeboats are launched at the request of the Irish Coast Guard, who then make the correct call on which search and rescue assets to deploy to the scene. We would urge the public not to delay calling for help. This could have had a very different outcome.’

Ends

RNLI media contacts
For more information please contact Eleanor Hooker Lough Derg RNLI Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer Tel: 00353877535207 email: [email protected] 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]

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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.

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