Drifting dinghy sparks launch of Oban RNLI Lifeboat
Oban RNLI Lifeboat ‘Mora Edith MacDonald’ launched on service on Friday (16 October) after a small boat had been reported drifting under the Connel bridge.
The volunteer crew were called upon at 5.30pm yesterday evening to investigate reports of a dinghy drifting through the Falls of Lora. With the tide flooding and the strong currents of the Falls of Lora running, it was believed that the boat had been carried into Loch Etive.
Oban lifeboat proceeded into Loch Etive as Oban’s Coastguard Team were also tasked. The lifeboat searched the area the boat seen drifting towards, but with nothing found they continued further into the loch where they spotted the boat drifting to the west of Ardchattan church.
It was clear that the boat was unoccupied so the lifeboat took it under tow to a nearby pier where it was recovered by the Coastguard Team.
Oban lifeboat departed the scene, arriving back in Oban refuelled and ready for service again by 7.30pm.
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 142,700 lives.
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