Busy 24 hours for Tobermory RNLI
Tobermory RNLI’s volunteer crew responded to two call outs in the evening of Monday 5 August and the morning of Tuesday 6 August.
The UK Coastguard requested the launch of the all-weather lifeboat shortly after 6.30pm on Monday evening after a rigid inflatable boat (RIB) with four persons onboard reported loss of power off the Ardnamurchan Peninsula. The Elizabeth Fairlie Ramsey made best speed to the RIB located in Sanna Bay, where a fish carrier vessel stood by until the lifeboat arrived on scene.
The RIB, which had been secured to a creel buoy, was taken under tow to Kilchoan Pier, where the Kilchoan Coastguard Rescue Team assisted in recovering it to a trailer onshore. The lifeboat returned to the berth where she was refuelled and made ready for service by 10pm.
The volunteer crew were paged again at 9.30am on Tuesday morning after a member of the public contacted the UK Coastguard with concerns that there was a person stranded on one of the small islands in Salen Bay on the east coast of Mull.
Coastguards from the Tobermory and Craignure teams performed a shoreline search whilst the all-weather lifeboat and daughter craft (the Y boat) searched the inlets and rocky outcrops in the bay. With nothing found after a thorough search, the lifeboat was stood down by the UK Coastguard and returned to Tobermory where she was refuelled and made ready for service by 12.30pm.
Coxswain David McHaffie said: ‘This service was a false alarm with good intent, we would always urge the public that if they think someone is in difficulty along the coast or at sea, to dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard.’
Notes to editors
Tobermory RNLI's annual Lifeboat Day will take place on Sunday 11 August with a Harry Potter theme.
For further information, please contact
Leanne Blair, Tobermory RNLI Volunteer Deputy Lifeboat Press Officer on 07711549609 or [email protected]
Martin Macnamara, Regional Media Officer (Scotland), 07920 365929 or [email protected]
Gemma McDonald, Regional Media Manager (Scotland), 07826 900639 or [email protected]
Key facts about the RNLI
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.
Learn more about the RNLI
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Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries
Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.