Oban Lifeboat launches to three separate incidents in 12 hours

The busy day began as the crew’s pagers sounded at 9.09am, after an EPIRB had been activated on board a vessel located at Dunstaffnage Marina. An EPIRB is a type of emergency beacon carried by vessels which can be activated when the vessel is in distress, the transmission is sent via satellite to a rescue co-ordination centre where emergency services are requested to launch.

In this case, it was established that the activation was accidental and the vessel did not require any assistance. The lifeboat had just left the berth, so returned to station shortly after.

The next call came at 12.53pm, a yacht in the Puilladobhairn anchorage at the north end of Seil Island had suffered engine failure. The lifeboat launched shortly after the initial request and arrived on scene by 1.30pm. A tow was quickly passed to the vessel and best speed made back towards Oban, where the vessel was safely berthed alongside at Oban Marina. The lifeboat returned to station by 3pm.

Oban lifeboat was requested to launch again, later in the evening, to assist with a medical evacuation from the Isle of Mull. The volunteer crew launched at 7.52pm, arriving alongside at Craignure by 8.18pm where the patient was safely transferred onboard the lifeboat for the onwards journey to Oban. The lifeboat arrived back in Oban by 9pm where the casualty was transferred on to a waiting ambulance for further treatment.

Oban lifeboat was refuelled and made ready for service again shortly after.