Lough Derg RNLI assists two people on a 21ft motor boat suffering engine trouble
At 5.02pm on Saturday 20 June, Valentia Coast Guard requested Lough Derg RNLI to go to the assistance of two people on a 21ft motor boat that had suffered engine failure near the Corakeens Islands.
At 5.15pm the lifeboat launched with volunteer helm Owen Cavangh, volunteer crew Keith Brennan, Jimmy Gund Kjell and Joe O’Donoghue on board. The wind was southerly, Force 7 and gusting. Visibility was fair, with driving rain and frequent squalls.
A vessel in the vicinity had taken the motor boat under tow, but under the severe weather conditions, the vessel being towed was driven onto rocks by the entrance to Dromaan Harbour on the County Clare shore.
The lifeboat arrived on scene at 5.20pm. Once the RNLI volunteers established that the casualties were safe and unharmed, they took the motor vessel off the rocks and into Dromaan, the closest safe harbour, where it was tied alongside at 6.20pm.
The two casualties, wearing face masks and gloves, were taken by the lifeboat back to Dromineer. The vessel that had provided assistance made its own way to the public harbour at Dromineer.
Owen Cavanagh, volunteer helm at Lough Derg RNLI advises boat owners to ‘ensure your engines are fully serviced and fuel is clean before returning to the water for the summer season’. He says ‘respect the water, and remember, always check the weather forecast before going afloat.'
Ends
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For more information please telephone Eleanor Hooker, Lough Derg RNLI volunteer helm and Lifeboat Press Officer on 0877535207 or [email protected] or Nuala McAloon, Regional Media Officer on 0876483547 or [email protected] or Niamh Stephenson, Regional Media Manager on 0871254124 or [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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